Partner, Lanier Meyer McBride Blair LLP | Best-Selling Author | Advocate
Partner, Lanier Meyer McBride Blair LLP | Best-Selling Author | Advocate
“After they’re caught, only about 1 in 4 institutional offenders say abuse had nothing to do with why they chose their role.”
Read that again—because it changes prevention.
If we keep designing safeguards for “rare accidents,” we will keep missing the fact that youth-serving organizations are a magnet for one of the most dangerous predators of children.
Source: In the cited UK sample summarized by the Australian Institute of Criminology, 25% said abuse had ‘nothing to do’ with their motivation; 15% ‘specifically chose’ the role to abuse; 42% said it was ‘at least part’; 20% were unsure.” Australian Institute of Criminology
Most YSO predators abuse dozens of victims before being caught.
Targeting is patterned, not random.
The vast majority of predators are known and trusted by the victim and their family.
“After they’re caught, only about 1 in 4 institutional offenders say abuse had nothing to do with why they chose their role.”
Read that again—because it changes prevention.
If we keep designing safeguards for “rare accidents,” we will keep missing the fact that youth-serving organizations are a magnet for one of the most dangerous predators of children.
Source: In the cited UK sample summarized by the Australian Institute of Criminology, 25% said abuse had ‘nothing to do’ with their motivation; 15% ‘specifically chose’ the role to abuse; 42% said it was ‘at least part’; 20% were unsure.” Australian Institute of Criminology
Most YSO predators abuse dozens of victims before being caught.
Targeting is patterned, not random.
The vast majority of predators are known and trusted by the victim and their family.
Sexual Abuse Happens at Youth-Serving Organizations Because We Have Been Solving the Wrong Problem.
Most institutions act like abuse prevention is a matter of catching a “bad apple” with a background check or waiting for “notice” or a red-flag about a specific abuser.
But the research and the case patterns show something else: offenders seek roles that give them access, trust, privacy, and repeat opportunity.
The Motive (Access)
“Only 25% clearly indicated that abuse had nothing to do with their motivation.”
In a Canadian institutional-offender sample, 52.2% reported choosing the institution to access children for sexual contact.
The Targeting (Selection)
Offenders report choosing “easy to script” targets.
In one institutional-offender dataset summarized by AIC, 93.7% reported targeting children who had attended a sexuality class (and other “sexual knowledge” signals were endorsed even more).
A separate institutional sample summary reports 84% identified vulnerability as a key target characteristic.
The Scale (Repeat Harm)
Victimization can be high-volume before detection: in one sample, 15 victims at assessment → 48 during treatment (as disclosure becomes more complete).
Another institutional-offender study reports 492 disclosed victims across 23 offenders (mean ≈ 21.3; range 3–102).
Inverted Reality is when we trust the system… predators exploit it.
What We Assume
What The Data Shows
“If we do background checks, we’re safe.”
“It’s rare.”
“It’s one kid, one time.”
Almost all offenders have no prior conviction before institutional offending shows up.
The CDC’s current summary: at least 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 20 boys experience CSA—and ~90% is perpetrated by someone known/trusted.
When abuse happens in institutions, offender disclosures can involve dozens of victims before the predator is caught.
3.75% of the population report experiencing sexual abuse at a youth-serving organization, not grooming, but actual physical sexual abuse. And the actual rates of abuse may be even higher.
Victim counts like “21–48” are disclosure-based and can rise over time (e.g., assessment → treatment). They reflect what offenders disclosed, not an upper bound.
Inverted Reality is when we trust the system… predators exploit it.
What We Assume
“If we do background checks, we’re safe.”
“It’s rare.”
“It’s one kid, one time.”
What The Data Shows
Almost all offenders have no prior conviction before institutional offending shows up.
The CDC’s current summary: at least 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 20 boys experience CSA—and ~90% is perpetrated by someone known/trusted.
When abuse happens in institutions, offender disclosures can involve dozens of victims before the predator is caught.
3.75% of the population report experiencing sexual abuse at a youth-serving organization, not grooming, but actual physical sexual abuse. And the actual rates of abuse may be even higher.
Victim counts like “21–48” are disclosure-based and can rise over time (e.g., assessment → treatment). They reflect what offenders disclosed, not an upper bound.
The Numbers YSOs Don’t Want on a Poster.
25%
“Only 25%” deny / say abuse had nothing to do with why they were there.
21.3
Victims disclosed: mean ≈ 21.3 (range 3–102) in one institutional-offender study.
15
UK sample: 15 victims at assessment → 48 during treatment.
93.7%
93.7% targeted kids who had attended a sexuality class (institutional-offender dataset summary).
84%
84% identified vulnerability; 79% reported manipulating it (institutional sample summary).
3.75%
National prevalence signal (YSO settings): 3.75% reported CSA in YSOs in a nationally representative U.S. study.
Stats shown here come from published studies and national summaries. They describe caught offenders and disclosure-based reporting—meaning they are often conservative.
Meet Jeffrey D. Meyer
Jeff Meyer is a partner at Lanier Meyer McBride Blair LLP, where he represents survivors of sexual abuse and assault, holding institutions accountable for preventable harm.
He’s the author of Inverted Reality, which challenges the “notice/red flag” framework and argues for structural prevention in youth organizations.
“Sexual abuse cases are, for the most part, negligence cases—and in youth‑serving organizations that means prevention is a design problem.” — Jeff
Partner, Lanier Meyer McBride Blair LLP (national firm focused on representing survivors of sexual abuse and assault; survivor-centered / trauma-informed)
Author: Inverted Reality (written to shift the conversation from “notice” to primary prevention)
Media-ready: brings the research, real case experience, and clear language for general audiences
“If you’re a survivor, a parent, or a journalist trying to understand what institutions keep getting wrong—this is the conversation we need to have.”
Choose Your Next Step.
For Podcasts & Media
1) Request Jeff (topic + audience + preferred dates)
2) Get a 1‑page prep sheet (stats, definitions, safe language)
3) Record a conversation that actually helps prevention
For Survivors & Families
1) Speak confidentially with the firm
2) Investigate the institution’s failures
3) Demand accountability
If you’re in immediate danger, call local emergency services.
A Guest Who Can Explain the Data Without Sanitizing the Stakes.
What your audience will take away
Why “background check prevention” fails when many offenders have no record before first detection Australian Institute of Criminology
Why targeting is patterned (sexual knowledge cues + vulnerability cues) Australian Institute of Criminology+1
Why victim counts can explode as disclosure becomes complete Australian Institute of Criminology+1
What real prevention looks like: policies that remove privacy, isolate grooming channels, and enforce supervision (the “environment design” approach)
A Guest Who Can Explain the Data Without Sanitizing the Stakes.
What your audience will take away
Why “background check prevention” fails when many offenders have no record before first detection Australian Institute of Criminology
Why targeting is patterned (sexual knowledge cues + vulnerability cues) Australian Institute of Criminology+1
Why victim counts can explode as disclosure becomes complete Australian Institute of Criminology+1
What real prevention looks like: policies that remove privacy, isolate grooming channels, and enforce supervision (the “environment design” approach)
Inverted Reality
For parents: how grooming and access work in real settings
For YSO leaders: prevention that’s enforceable (not performative)
For advocates: language + research to push back on institutional minimization
Inverted Reality
For parents: how grooming and access work in real settings
For YSO leaders: prevention that’s enforceable (not performative)
For advocates: language + research to push back on institutional minimization
“Preventing Child Sexual Abuse at Youth Serving Organizations is… a fixable problem.”
They Hid the Truth. We Uncover It.
When institutions minimize risk, survivors pay the price.
Lanier Meyer McBride Blair LLP was built to pursue these cases with survivor-centered, trial-ready standards. Glassdoor+1
FOLLOW JEFF
SOURCES
AIC Trends & Issues paper summarizing institutional offender motivation distribution and disclosure-based victim counts Australian Institute of Criminology
AIC study reporting 492 victims across 23 offenders and selection indicators Australian Institute of Criminology
CDC “About Child Sexual Abuse” (May 16, 2024) CDC
2024 nationally representative YSO-context prevalence paper (Assini‑Meytin et al.) safekidsthrive.org+2safekidsthrive.org+2
FOR MEDIA
FOR READERS
FOR SURVIVORS
Copyright 2026. Jeffrey Donald Meyer. All Rights Reserved.
FOLLOW JEFF
FOR MEDIA
FOR READERS
FOR SURVIVORS
SOURCES
AIC Trends & Issues paper summarizing institutional offender motivation distribution and disclosure-based victim counts Australian Institute of Criminology
AIC study reporting 492 victims across 23 offenders and selection indicators Australian Institute of Criminology
CDC “About Child Sexual Abuse” (May 16, 2024) CDC
2024 nationally representative YSO-context prevalence paper (Assini‑Meytin et al.) safekidsthrive.org+2safekidsthrive.org+2
Copyright 2026. Jeffrey Donald Meyer. All Rights Reserved.