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Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 35, No. 5, 549-569 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0093854808314339

Stained Glass

The Nature and Scope of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

Karen J. Terry

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, kterry{at}jjay.cuny.edu

This article presents the results of the Nature and Scope of Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests from 1950 to 2002. Ninety-seven percent of dioceses (representing 99% of diocesan priests) and 64% of religious communities (representing 83% of religious priests) responded to the request for data. Findings showed that 4,392 priests (4%) had allegations of abuse, 10,667 victims made allegations, and the Church paid (at the time surveys were completed) $572.5 million for legal and treatment fees and as compensation to the victims (more than $1.3 billion to date). The study also provided information on the circumstances of the abuse (e.g., types of sexual acts, location, duration), the offenders (e.g., year of ordination, age, ministry duties, other behavioral problems), the victims (e.g., age and gender, family situation), and the dioceses (e.g., differences in abuse rates by region and population size). Importance of these results for policy and practice is discussed.

Key Words: child sexual abuse • Catholic Church • prevalence • nature and scope


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K. J. Terry and A. Ackerman
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