Abstract
This study, based on the case studies of 25 adolescent sex offenders, was designed to understand those factors that contribute to adolescent sexual offending. Although the focus is primarily on the micro level, we acknowledge the impacts of mezzo- and macro-level factors on family and individual functioning. External structural factors such as poverty, inequality, unemployment, societal values regarding sexuality, lack of support systems and violence penetrate the lives of individuals and families to manifest in a range of problems that human service professionals such as psychiatrists, social workers and psychologists deal with on a daily basis.
Highlights
There may be little opportunity of changing an offender’s behaviour unless there is understanding of the factors that contribute to it
Of the 40 male adolescent sexual offenders who were receiving services at Childline, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), 25 were included in the study adopting the theoretical sampling strategy, which involves the purposeful selection of a sample in the initial stages of the study, building up to data saturation (Coyne, 1997)
The research elucidates the possible relationship between family dynamics and offending behaviour
Summary
There may be little opportunity of changing an offender’s behaviour unless there is understanding of the factors that contribute to it. The reasons that offenders give for offending may seem totally irrational or unacceptable, but it is the reality of their world. By seeing it through their eyes can practitioners understand what motivates their behaviour, help them to change (Briggs, 1995:vii) and develop strategies for secondary and primary prevention of sexual abuse (Worling & Curwen, 2000). Because of the under-reporting of sexual abuse of children by adolescents, it is difficult to obtain accurate statistics in South Africa
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