Spatial patterns of sex offenders: Theoretical, empirical, and practical issues

The aim of the current article is to review the theoretical, empirical, and practical issues related to the spatial behavior of sex offenders. After describing three theoretical models related to geographic profiling, empirical studies are presented that investigate the links between offender characteristics, modus operandi variables, and the distances traveled by sex offenders. Different spatial typologies of sex offenders and investigative strategies that take into account the spatial component of criminal behavior are discussed.