Demographics and Statistics on the Boy Scouts’ Perversion Files for 1971 – 1991

Another investigative piece is currently on several television networks detailing the inner workings  — and failings – of the Boy Scouts of America’s “ineligible volunteer files.”  One subset of these files — known as the “Perversion Files” — include thousands of secret files kept at the national headquarters of the Boy Scouts of America from 1919 to the present about Scout Leaders alleged to have sexually abused children.

One interesting portion of this team’s investigation is the compilation of demographic information about the perpetrators in these files.  These include that:

• The age range with the largest percentage of pedophile Scout leaders was those between 30 and 39
• 48.7% of pedophile Scout leaders were single (with another 5.7% reporting to be divorced)
• Less than 1/3 (only 31.6%) of pedophile Scout leaders reported having any children of their own

In terms of religion, “Trail of Betrayal” reported to following statistics for Scout Leaders accused of child sexual abuse:

• Protestant:         28.4%
• Catholic:               12.3%
• LDS-Mormon:    5.6%
• Jewish:                 1.5%

Regionally, the Trail of Betrayal team reports the following geographic distribution of reported incidents of sexual abuse:

• Northeast:          21.4%
• South:                   27.8%
• Midwest:             25.8%
• West:                    23.6%

http://www.wxyz.com/dpps/boy_scouts/offender-demographic-profile_7959062

One has to keep in mind that these files only represent the “tip of the iceberg” of the problem of child sexual abuse in Scouting.  But these demographics do give some insights into the profile of a predator Scout Leader, as well as the prevalence of the problem.