Recommended Reading

 

 

Arranged Alphabetically

Note: Many publications listed here are free in print or may be downloaded as pdfs. Links to where books may be purchased are provided as a convenience; we have no affiliations with any booksellers.
 

A Profile of Pedophilia: Definition, Characteristics of Offenders, Recidivism, Treatment Outcomes, and Forensic Issues (pdf) - Ryan CW Hall, MD, and Richard C. W. Hall, MD, PA.. From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns
Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Md (R.C.W.H.); and Psychiatry, Lake Mary, Fla
(R.C.W.H.). © 2007 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
 

An American Travesty: Legal Responses to Adolescent Sexual Offending
 

An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine - Howard Markel
 

Anatomy of Anorexia - Steven Levenkron
 

Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence Reading Resources
 

Assessment and Treatment of Sex Offenders - Beech, Craig & Browne
Comprehensive resource for practitioners working with sexual offenders

Assessing Risk in Sex Offenders - a practitioners guide - Craig, Browne, Beech
A resource for forensic practitioners responsible for assessing an managing sexual offenders at risk of recidivism. It covers the risk factors associated with sexual recidivism, evaluates risk assessment approaches and offers guidance on how to conduct forensic evaluations.
 

Begin to Heal - Ellen Bass, Laura Davis
A first book for men and women who were sexually abused as children
 

Beyond Belief - Colm O' Gorman
Abused by His Priest, Betrayed by His Church, the Story of the Boy Who Sued the Pope
 

Child Abuse and Neglect User Manuals (Free) Child Welfare Information Gateway

 

Child Abuse and Neglect: Attachment, Development and Intervention - David Howe
 

Child abuse in Community Institutions and Organizations Law Commission of Canada 2001 (Open)
 

Child Abuse Offenders - How to identify, interview and interrogate
An outstanding book that covers all aspects of offender behaviors including the characteristics of victims selected. From Reid & Co.
 

Child Abuse Trauma - John N. Briere
Theory and treatment of the lasting effects
 

Children and Domestic Violence (free - pdfs) English and French
Centre for Children and Families in the Justice System
 

Children and Families Children's Policy Group
Publications and Presentations
 

Children and Families Futures Webinars
All handouts and webinar video files are available for free viewing and downloading.

• Substance Abuse and Child Welfare in Tribal Communities: A Two-Part Webinar Series

• Regional Partnership Grant Program Webinar Series

• Substance Abuse Treatment, Child Welfare, and Court Collaboration

• Regional Partnership Grant Program Webinar Series

• Collaboration Challenges for RPGS: Data, Shared Outcomes, and Choosing the Bridges

• Connecting the Dots: How States and Counties Have Used Existing Data Systems to Create Cross System Data Linkages
   

Child Molesters: A Behavioral Analysis - Free
A Free Publication Available from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Written for Law Enforcement this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in protecting children in a profession or personal role. Free - Available immediately as a pdf or as a printed booklet.
 

Child Molestation Research & Prevention Institute - Reading List
 

Child Molesters Who Abduct - Free
Written in conjunction with the FBI, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the U.S. Department of Justice, and University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, this book examines and reports on case histories of serial child molesters and abductors while offering insights for professionals in law enforcement, the court system, healthcare, and corrections/probation on the backgrounds, behavior, and techniques of such offenders in order either to prevent their crimes or identify and stop them more quickly. Available immediately as a pdf or as a printed booklet.
 

Child-Pornography Possessors - Free
This groundbreaking national survey of law enforcement estimated the number of arrests for child-pornography possessors in Internet-related crimes and described the characteristics of the offenders, the crimes they committed, and their victims. FREE - Available immediately as a pdf or as a printed booklet.
 

Counseling Survivors of Domestic Violence: Christiane Sanderso
 

Conversations With a Pedophile: In the Interest of our Children
Amy Hammel-Zabin Ph.d
In an effort to show parents how to protect their children from sexual predators Conversations with a Pedophile, through direct correspondence with a convicted pedophile, describes how victims are selected and preyed upon. Dr. Hammel-Zabin details ways to spot early warning signs of abuse and proves that the danger of pedophilia does not come from the stranger in the street offering gifts of candy. It's the nice boy next door, the distant relative, the sweet baby-sitter. It is also shown that our churches aren't safe havens. Nor are our schools or our Scout troops.

Conversations - BookReview
We learn first hand from the pedophile interviewed in this book that control of others, specifically children, is the motivation for many pedophiles. Sex isn't the root cause but is a distinct part of process - the endgame. Control of the child is a very much a planned and deliberate action worked out over time with as much pleasure for the pedophile in the process of control as in the final act of sex itself.

Pedophilia is an evolving practice with escalating tactics of grooming and ensnaring child victims: pedophiles don't just appear as dirty old men on the street corner; pedophiles surround us in plain sight disguised in many forms. They hurt many children - sometimes thousands - before they are caught. If they are caught.
 

Conversation with Child Molesters - Oprah. 2 hours (Open)
 

Cover Up: understanding self harm - Joan Freeman (Open)
This (excellent) book blows away the stigma and myths that are attached to self-harm, cutting and suicidal behaviors. Joan Freeman, founder of Pieta House the Centre for the Prevention of Self-Harm or Suicide.
 

Crime Signals - David Givens Ph.D
See Ch 6, 'The Predator Look'
 

Dabsbooks: Specialist book and information service for people who are overcoming childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or domestic violence.
 

Date Rape Drugs Factsheet
 

Deep Deception: Ireland's swimming scandals - Justine McCarthy (Updated)
...coaches, the most respected in the sport, preyed (sexually) on young swimmers. They exploited their dreams of greatness and betrayed the trust of their parents. Between them, they are believed to have left hundreds of victims in their wake.
 

Developmentally Disabled Persons With Sexual Behavior Problems (Second Edition): Treatment, Management, Supervision - Gerry D. Blasingame, MA, LMFT.
A review of treatment of developmentally disabled sex offenders, the text is a compilation of theory and practical strategies that focuses on shaping professional practice for community-based treatment, management, and supervision of this population. (Also available on Amazon)
 

Domestic Violence
 

Facing the Future: A guide for parents of young people who have sexually abused - Simon Hackett
 

Facts About Animal Abuse & Domestic Violence
 

Federal Child Pornography Statutes (DoJ) (Open)
 

2010 U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual (Open)
Proposed Amendments 2012 (Open)

Florida Council Against Sexual Violence (FCASV publications) Eng/Spanish - Free
The Florida Council Against Sexual Violence (FCASV) serves as a resource to the state on sexual violence issues. The FCASV mission is to lead, educate, advocate, serve and network on behalf of individuals impacted by sexual violence. Publications include:
Adult Victims of Childhood Abuse, How to Help a Victim, When Men Are Victims, Even Among Friends, Older Victims, Talking About Sexual Assault, Sexual Battery Victims Rights and Services, SART Toolkit, Protection Orders for Victims of Sexual Violence, Employment and Housing Rights for Survivors of Sexual Violence, Florida Sexual Violence Benchbook.
 

Forced into Faith: how religion abuses children's rights - Innaiah Narisetti
In 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, proclaiming elementary rights for children world-wide. In this...critique of the UN convention, humanist lnnaiah Narisetti forcefully argues that children's rights should include complete freedom from religious belief. Narisetti proposes that the choice of religious belief or non-belief should be deferred till adulthood.

 

Guardian ad Litem Program (About the volunteer program) with Florida Executive Director, Alan Abramowitz - video (17 mins)
 

I know you are lying - Mark McClish
Statement Analysis® is the process of analyzing a persons words to see if the person is being truthful or deceptive.
 

Inside the Criminal Mind - Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D
 

Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators - Katherine Ramsland & Patrick Mc Grain
'Successful predators are often so clever and secretive that even the people closest to them fail to recognize what they are doing. They devise a convincing facade, they have a long list of prepared excuses, and when suspicions arise they're skilled at reassuring others that nothing is wrong. They exploit trust and know how to twist what people want to believe into a false sense of security...'
 

Juvenile sex offenders marked for life (First page is blank)
 

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children - Extensive & Free Publications
Available immediately as a pdf or as a printed booklet
 

National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement - Publications
Most books can be downloaded free from this website

• Adolescents

• Child and Family Services Reviews

• Children with Special Needs

• Domestic Violence

• Early Intervention

• Foster Care

• Human Resource Development

• Indian Child Welfare

• Interagency Collaboration

• Licensing

• Permanency Planning

• Quality Assurance

• Safety and Well-being

• Strategic Planning

• Training Materials

• Using data in decision making
   

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Publications Catalog
Note that most NIDA Publications are also available for Free online viewing or downloading.
 

One Child brochures on child abuse and protection - Evin M. Daly
How to protect your child from sexual abuse, Child Sexual Abuse Explained (for concerned parents), Physical Child Abuse: Warning Signs, The Four Types of Child Abuse.
 

Predators: Pedophiles, rapists & other sex offenders - Anna Salter, Ph.D
Who they are, how they operate and how we can protect ourselves and our children.
 

Prostitution, Trafficking and Traumatic Stress - Melissa Farley PhD
An analysis of prostitution and trafficking as organized interpersonal violence. The connections between prostitution, incest, sexual harassment, rape, and domestic violence.
 

Psychopathy: Antisocial, Criminal, and Violent Behavior - Theodore Millon PhD DSc (Editor), Erik Simonsen MD (Editor), Roger D. Davis (Editor), Morten Birket-Smith (Editor)
 

Recommended reading on Child Sex Abuse (from Darkness 2 Light)
 

Sexual Risk Actuarial and Assessment Tests (Summary - pdf) (Open)
 

Sex Trafficking: The Global Market in Women and Children - Kathryn Farr
Documents the macro and micro impact of trafficking women and children into this industry on a global scale.
 

Sexualized Children - Gil Johnson
Assessment and treatment of sexualized children and children who molest
 

Sexually Victimized Children - David Finkelhor
 

Stolen Tomorrows - Steven Levenkron with Abby Levenkron
Understanding and treating women's childhood sexual abuse.

Telling Lies - Paul Ekman
Ekman is a renowned expert in emotions research and nonverbal communication.
 

The Batterer: A Psychological Profile - Donald Dutton Ph.d
Symptoms, characteristics and possible cures for violent behavior
 

The Florida Sexual Violence Benchbook - Free. Florida Council Against Sexual Violence (FCASV) An ongoing reference guide for judges when faced with issues related to sexual violence in their courtrooms. Topics in the book include state statutes relating to sexual violence, elements of sexual battery trials, various pre- and post-trial matters, injunctions, jury selection, pretrial release, discovery depositions of rape victims, and psychological effects of rape manifested by victims. The book was distributed to all county and circuit court judges in the state as well as all prosecutors’ offices.
 

The Gift of Fear - Gavin De Backer
People don't just 'snap' and become violent, says de Becker, whose clients include federal government agencies, celebrities, police departments, and shelters for battered women. 'There is a process as observable, and often as predictable, as water coming to a boil.'
 

The Gift of Therapy - Irvin D. Yalom, M.D.
An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients
 

The God Squad - Paddy Doyle
By the age of four, Paddy Doyle's mother had died of cancer, and father had committed suicide. He was detained in an industrial school for 11 years, where he was viciously assaulted and sexually abused by his religious custodians. After 3 years, he was taken to a hospital and left there, never to see his custodians again. This period of his life, culminating in brain surgery at the age of 10, left him permanently disabled.
 

The Juvenile Sex Offender - Barbaree, Marshall
Examines what is known about the nature and development of juvenile sexual offending, the consequences for both victims and perpetrators, and approaches to assessment, intervention, and relapse prevention.
 

The Myth of Sanity: Martha Stout Ph.D
Insights into the vulnerabilities of people affected by abuse and trauma.
 

The Psychopath: emotion and the brain - James Blair, Derek Mitchell and Karina Blair
 

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry - Jon Ronson
 

The Sociopath Next Door - Martha Stout ph.d
Sociopaths comprise 4% of our population, a statistically significant number. They lack conscience, an ability to empathize or to love. It's all about them. Yet they hide among us mimicking our behaviors to fit it, to charm, to appear to be the nicest guy or girl around. But they're not. They are family, neighbors, leaders in business and politics. Many are the predators that hurt our children. This books teaches how to spot them, to deal with them and most importantly, how to avoid being hurt by them.
 

The Stop Child Molestation book - Gene G. Abel, M.D. and Nora Harlow
Results of a research study that explains what ordinary people can do to stop child molestation
 

The Trauma Myth: the truth about the sexual abuse of child - and it's aftermath.
Dr. Susan A. Clancy (Open). Drawing on the latest research on memory and traumatic experience the author demonstrates that children describe abuse and molestation encounters in ways that don't fit the conventional trauma model. In fact, the most common feeling reported is not fear but confusion. Clancy calls for an honest look at sexual abuse and its aftermath, and argues that the reactions of society and the healing professions--however well meaning--actually shackle the victims of abuse in chains of guilt, secrecy, and shame.
NY Times review (Read)
Salon Interview with Dr. Clancy (Read)
 

To Catch a Predator - Chris Hansen
Protecting your kids from online enemies already in your home
 

Transforming Trauma: Understanding and treating adult survivors of child sexual abuse - Anna Salter, Ph.D
 

Trauma and Recovery - Judith Herman, M.D.
Brings a new level of understanding to a set of problems usually considered individually. Shows the parallels between private terrors such as rape and public traumas such as terrorism. Argues that psychological trauma can be understood only in a social context.
 

Trauma and Serious Mental Illness - Steven Gold, PhD, Jon Elhal, PhD
Extreme disturbances in psychological adjustment comprising serious mental illness may be reactions to the extreme and extremely disturbing circumstances embodied by psychological trauma. Mental illness may be the result of trauma not biologically based and may therefore be treated with psychotherapy.
 

Violent and Sexual Offenders - Assessment, treatment and management (Ireland, Ireland, Birch). Authoritative overview and analysis of issues of assessment, treatment and management of dangerous offenders.
 

Violence Risk and Threat Assessment - Reid Meloy Phd
Readable and practical book on violence risk - excellent review of psychopathy
 

Why kids kill - Inside the Minds of School Shooters Peter Langman Ph.D
A very strong resource for school counselors and parents.
 

Without Conscience - Robert D. Hare Ph.d
'Brings together a wealth of information about psychopathy...'
Robert Hare's Web Site devoted to the study of Psychopathy (Open)
 

Women Who Sexually Abuse Children - Hannah Ford
Provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research in this often overlooked area and discusses both adult female offenders and adolescents/younger children who commit sexual offences against children.
 

World Health Organization Violence prevention: the evidence (8 part pdf)
WHO and Liverpool John Moore's University launched Violence prevention: the evidence, an eight-part series of briefings on the evidence for interventions to prevent interpersonal and self-directed violence.