Two days after a former Penn State coach was charged with sexually abusing young boys, local experts said the allegations contained in charging documents are fairly typical in cases involving these types of accusations.
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On Saturday, former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, 67, was arrested on 40 counts relating to the sexual abuse of eight boys – some of them as young as 8 – from 1994 to 2009. Mr. Sandusky retired from Penn State in 1999 but continued to work with a charity called the Second Mile, which he founded more than 30 years ago.
Mr. Sandusky met his alleged victims through the charity, prosecutors have said. Many of the alleged victims who testified before the grand jury said the former coach gave them gifts – including clothing, shoes and sporting equipment.
One alleged victim testified that Mr. Sandusky gave him $50 to buy marijuana and gave him a ride to purchase it. Another alleged victim said he often traveled to Penn State games with Mr. Sandusky, including the Outback Bowl in 1998 and the Alamo Bowl in 1999.
Although not familiar with the accusations against Mr. Sandusky, Jeanie Pavlovich, Ph.D., said people who sexually abuse children often target victims who are disadvantaged and emotionally vulnerable.
“They look for weaknesses and start testing the waters,” said Dr. Pavlovich, director of Community Medical Center’s behavioral health services. “They will offer promises and rewards to kids” as a way of grooming them.
Licensed clinical social worker David Humphreys, who evaluates and treats juvenile and adult sexual offenders at Scranton Counseling Center, also said the behavior described in the grand jury paperwork matches much of the behavior of a typical pedophile.
“One of the hallmark features is to ⦠cater to the needs of those kids in a way that a caregiver cannot,” he said. “Pedophiles know how to meet the needs of these kids.”
Also typical in many sexual abuse cases is that the abuser will not seek help on his or her own, both Mr. Humphreys and Dr. Pavlovich said. Instead, they seek treatment only when they are caught – whether it is by a loved one or the authorities.
“They know it’s illegal and these behaviors come with consequences,” Mr. Humphreys said.
Dr. Pavlovich said the abuser must admit that what he or she has done is wrong before treatment is effective. Counselors will work with sexual abusers to come up with ways to cope with the urges they feel.
“It’s a pervasive mental health problem,” Mr. Humphreys said. “In treatment, you can learn to control it, but there is no cure.”
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