Book Review: Identifying Child Molesters: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse by Recognizing the Patterns of the Offenders. By Carla van Dam. New York: Haworth, 2001, 229 pages.

• Date: 01 May 2003
• Published date: 01 May 2003
• Author: Bernadette Olson
• DOI: 10.1177/1043986203251079
• Subject Matter: Review

merely symptoms of largersocial and economic problems in a community. Although I

appreciate the metaphor, labeling it as theory without any effort to at least caution

about its validity makes the book less usable. Similarly,at the beginning of the book

(p. 6), the authors reference Klockars’ observationthat police have the “right” to use

coercive force. Well, no theydo not. Individual citizens have rights, professions do

not. Moreover,rights are those values that can be asserted against the government, not

the other way around. Officers have a limited legal authority to employ force, an

authority granted by the people. This may seem like a picky argument,but I doubt that

constitutional scholars such as Lawrence Tribe would find it so. Finally, they make

reference to Maslow’s hierarchy(p. 213) without noting that (a) Maslow never actu-

ally used the term and that (b) no study has yet supported the theory with empirical

evidence. Some argue one cannot falsify the theory, thus making it a bad theory.

Similarly,the work of Herzberg as an extension of Maslow (p. 214) has come under

fire because no one has been able to replicate Herzberg’s findings,although many

have tried. I do not quibble with the use of theory.I employ them in courses I teach.

But, I would prefer some reference to the questions that arise from theory,at least for

completeness.

In sum, I say again that the book is well written, well referenced, and organized

around a useful framework that is largely carried throughout the text.I like the heavy

reliance on theory and, in the appropriate setting, would likely use the text. However,

its reliance on heavy theory and its reluctance to expose the limitations of current the-

ory or efforts to extend theory make the book less useable for lowercapacity students

and more problematic for higher level students who are learning theory.

— Gregory D. Russell

Arkansas State University

Identifying Child Molesters: Preventing Child SexualAbuse by Recognizing

the Patternsof the Offenders. By Carla van Dam. New York:Haworth, 2001,

229 pages.

DOI: 10.1177/1043986203251079

Identifying Child Molesters provides a very useful and insightful framework for

recognizing potential child sexual offenders. Carla van Dam, an experiencedclinical

and forensic psychologist, offers the knowledge and resources to protect children

from sexual predators while also providing tools for early intervention by breaking

down and explaining the specific and recognizable behavioral patterns of those who

offend. After extensivereview of this text, I would recommend its use for almost any-

one involvedin the lives of young people, as it clearly relays invaluable knowledge. I

would hesitate to recommend this book for strict classroom use, as it would seem

more appropriate as a book offered to nonprofessionals—employers, parents, school

personnel, or others interested in maintaining healthy and safe environments for chil-

dren. If, however,it is used as a supplemental text in criminal justice or counseling-

BOOK REVIEWS 255