{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T00:33:24Z","timestamp":1777854804517,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":9,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2014,5,23]],"date-time":"2014-05-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1400803200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Interpers Violence"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>In recent years, some of the country\u2019s most prominent institutions have been ensnared in child sex abuse scandals. While each abuse incident features its own particular circumstances, institutions that have been the subject of these scandals have displayed similar patterns of organizational behavior that allowed molesting to occur and molesters to escape accountability. We can learn from those patterns to better understand and combat acquaintance molestation in youth-serving organizations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Although sex abuse is an inherent risk in youth work, American youth-serving organizations have responded to this risk largely on a case-by-case basis after abuse incidents have been revealed, rather than through proactive strategies to reduce the risk of abuse and to respond effectively to allegations. An examination of abuse scandals reveals common patterns of behavior among paid and volunteer staff in organizations that did not enact comprehensive, proactive strategies: Faith in the organiation blinded staff to the liklihood of abuse; organizations kept workers ignorant about the extent of the abuse problem; when abuse accusations arose, staff gave the benefit of the doubt to the adult; when abuse accusations were confirmed, staffers did not know how to respond; and not knowing how to resopnd, staff prioritized the protection of the organization.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>As a result, child molesters have been falsely exonerated or not held accountable, abused children have been disbelieved, and abuse has continued. These organizations inadvertently achieved the opposite of their missions: They enabled child molesters at the expense of children.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260514532362","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,5,24]],"date-time":"2014-05-24T00:31:37Z","timestamp":1400891497000},"page":"2839-2848","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["How Youth-Serving Organizations Enable Acquaintance Molesters"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"29","author":[{"given":"Patrick","family":"Boyle","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Forum for Youth Investment, Washington, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2014,5,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0886260514532362","volume-title":"Scout\u2019s honor: Sexual abuse in America\u2019s most trusted institution","author":"Boyle P.","year":"1994"},{"key":"bibr2-0886260514532362","unstructured":"Boyle P. (2010, May). Do youth groups need volunteer blacklists? Youth Today. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.youthtoday.org\/view_article.cfm?article_id=3960"},{"key":"bibr3-0886260514532362","unstructured":"Boyle P. (2012, October). Similar patterns of behavior emerge in sex abuse scandals. Youth Today. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.youthtoday.org\/view_article.cfm?article_id=3960"},{"key":"bibr4-0886260514532362","unstructured":"Freeh Sporkin, Sullivan LLP. (2012, July). Report of the special investigative counsel regarding the actions of The Pennsylvania State University related to the child sexual abuse committed by Gerald A. Sandusky, July 2012. Retrieved from http:\/\/progress.psu.edu\/the-freeh-report"},{"key":"bibr5-0886260514532362","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/088610999601100104"},{"key":"bibr6-0886260514532362","author":"McKay P.","year":"1999","journal-title":"Houston Chronicle"},{"key":"bibr7-0886260514532362","unstructured":"Patberg Z. (2009). Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood deals with sex abuse. Asbury Park, NJ: Asbury Park Press."},{"key":"bibr8-0886260514532362","volume-title":"Educator sexual misconduct: A synthesis of existing literature","author":"Shakeshaft C.","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr9-0886260514532362","volume-title":"Pressure to forgive challenges Mormon families, divides wards. Salt Lake Tribune","author":"Stack P. F.","year":"1999"}],"container-title":["Journal of Interpersonal Violence"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0886260514532362","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/0886260514532362","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0886260514532362","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T23:15:54Z","timestamp":1777504554000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0886260514532362"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2014,5,23]]},"references-count":9,"journal-issue":{"issue":"15","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,10]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/0886260514532362"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0886260514532362","relation":{},"ISSN":["0886-2605","1552-6518"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0886-2605","type":"print"},{"value":"1552-6518","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2014,5,23]]}}}