The Sex Offender in Juvenile Court

Abstract

This chapter outlines the strategic objectives and assumptions of modern juvenile courts in delinquency cases, and measures these assumptions against the known facts about adolescent sex offending and offenders. The fundamental question for this analysis is whether the assumptions and objectives on the part of modern juvenile courts regarding delinquents generally are appropriate also for sex offenders who come under the court's jurisdiction. If so, then the most appropriate policy environment for such offenders is American juvenile courts, which are informed by the age-specific policies of police and probation officials, and correctional agencies that have grown around such courts. But if, on the other hand, a sharp difference is found between the juvenile sex offender and the juvenile burglar, adjustments in treatment modalities and goals must be made before specific policies are designed.