Juvenile Sex Offenders Research Articles

Sentencing Male Sex Offenders Under the Age of 14: A Law Reform Advocacy Journey in Hong Kong

The common law presumption that a boy under the age of 14 is incapable of sexual intercourse has provoked controversial debates in Hong Kong. This article describes a 6-step advocacy journey to examine how community efforts have helped modify this law so that juvenile male sexual offenders under the age of 14 who have committed the crime of having sexual intercourse with underage females can be sentenced to receive appropriate treatment. Seven court cases provided by the magistrates’ courts in Hong Kong were used in this advocacy effort for the removal of the presumption in July 2012. Although this effort has yet to reveal signs of effectiveness, it represents greater public awareness about providing rehabilitation appropriate for juvenile sex offenders through a formal sentence. Restorative justice, as opposed to retributive or punitive justice, places an emphasis on rehabilitation of the offender and restoration of victims to a place of wholeness.

The prevalence of psychopathic personality disturbances among incarcerated youth: Comparing serious, chronic, violent and sex offenders

PurposeThere is a small but growing body of research on the role of psychopathy in juvenile sex offending. This can be contrasted with a larger and growing body of research examining the presence and prevalence of psychopathy on the development of serious and violent offending behavior among youth more generally. Currently, it remains unclear as to whether JSO may represent specific subgroups of JNSO, particularly in terms of psychopathic personality disturbances. MethodsThe current study examined the dimensions and prevalence of psychopathy using the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV) in a sample of serious and violent incarcerated youth. ResultsThe findings indicated that JSO had a significantly higher prevalence of psychopathy compared to violent, non-violent and chronic JNSO in the sample. In addition, there were important similarities and differences across the dimensions of the PCL: YV between JSO compared to specific subgroups of chronic and violent JNSO. ConclusionsTaken together, psychopathic personality disturbances appear to distinguish antisocial JSO from serious and violent JNSO.

A Criminal Career Study of the Continuity and Discontinuity of Sex Offending during the Adolescence-Adulthood Transition: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Incarcerated Youth

Longitudinal research has seriously challenged assumptions that juvenile sex offenders (JSO) are characterized by high level of dangerousness, mental health problems, and crime specialization in sex offenses. The current study examines the longitudinal pattern of offending among a sample of JSO and a sample of juvenile nonsex offenders. The research design includes longitudinal data over a nine-year period allowing the examination of offending patterns and the crime mix from age 12 to age 23. The findings highlight that, while JSO are prone to persist offending in adulthood, there is limited continuity of sex offending. Further, the findings stress the importance of taking into account nonsexual juvenile delinquency, more specifically, youth violence, to make a better assessment of early adult offending outcomes of JSO.

Comparison of non-sexual crimes committed by juvenile sexual offenders and delinquent youth in residential treatment in the USA

In this study we explored differences and similarities in criminal behaviour between incarcerated adolescents who committed sexual and non-sexual crimes with adolescents who committed only non-sexual crimes. Cross-sectional data on 606 adolescents were collected at two points in time (five years apart) from residential treatment facilities in the USA. After controlling for all the other variables (data collection site/time, race and poverty) in a model using logistic regression, general delinquency and property damage significantly predicted membership in the juvenile sexual offender group whereas felony theft and selling drugs significantly predicted membership in the non-sexual offender group (χ2 = 91.80, p < .001; Naglekerke = .278). A large number of juvenile sex offenders had also committed serious non-sexual crimes. These findings highlight a need for practitioners and researchers in juvenile justice to address non-sexual and sexual behavioural challenges among adolescent sexual offenders.

Therapeutic Alliance with Juvenile Sexual Offenders: The Effects of Trauma Symptoms and Attachment Functioning

Therapeutic alliance is an influential predictor of successful treatment with transtheoretical capacity. The effectiveness of alliance has been evidenced with adult sex offenders and delinquent youth, but scholarship in this area is only burgeoning with youthful sexual offenders. Client-level variables unique to clinical context may influence the therapeutic alliance and research ought to delineate those factors among youthful sexual offenders. The present study incorporates variables unique to youthful sexual offenders in corrections facilities. Trauma symptoms and attachment patterns are measured among adjudicated male sex offenders (N = 332). The results reveal a significant relationship between youths’ attachment to peers and communication with fathers that positively predicts alliance and that trauma symptoms related to sexual victimization negatively predict alliance. Implications, future research, and treatment suggestions are provided.

Juvenile Sex and Non-Sex Offenders: A Comparison of Recidivism and Risk

Forty male juvenile sex offenders were compared with 133 male juvenile non-sex offenders 2 years postrelease from residential treatment to assess recidivism and factors related to recidivism. Juvenile sex offenders had significantly lower recidivism rates than juvenile non-sex offenders.

Review of Juvenile Sex Offenders: A Guide to Evaluation and Treatment for Mental Health Professionals, by Eileen P. Ryan, John A. Hunter, and Daniel C. Murrie

Journal of Child and Adolescent PsychopharmacologyVol. 25, No. 5 Book ReviewReview of Juvenile Sex Offenders: A Guide to Evaluation and Treatment for Mental Health Professionals, by Eileen P. Ryan, John A. Hunter, and Daniel C. MurrieAlan RavitzAlan RavitzSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:19 Jun 2015https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2014.24118AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View article"Review of Juvenile Sex Offenders: A Guide to Evaluation and Treatment for Mental Health Professionals, by Eileen P. Ryan, John A. Hunter, and Daniel C. Murrie." Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 25(5), pp. 454–455FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 25Issue 5Jun 2015 InformationCopyright 2015, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Alan Ravitz.Review of Juvenile Sex Offenders: A Guide to Evaluation and Treatment for Mental Health Professionals, by Eileen P. Ryan, John A. Hunter, and Daniel C. Murrie.Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.Jun 2015.454-455.http://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2014.24118Published in Volume: 25 Issue 5: June 19, 2015Online Ahead of Print:March 24, 2015PDF download

The Influence of a Juvenile's Abuse History on Support for Sex Offender Registration.

We investigated whether and how a juvenile’s history of experiencing sexual abuse affects public perceptions of juvenile sex offenders in a series of 5 studies. When asked about juvenile sex offenders in an abstract manner (Studies 1 and 2), the more participants (community members and undergraduates) believed that a history of being sexually abused as a child causes later sexually abusive behavior, the less likely they were to support sex offender registration for juveniles. Yet when participants considered specific sexual offenses, a juvenile’s history of sexual abuse was not considered to be a mitigating factor. This was true when participants considered a severe sexual offense (forced rape; Study 3 and Study 4) and a case involving less severe sexual offenses (i.e., statutory rape), when a juvenile’s history of sexual abuse backfired and was used as an aggravating factor, increasing support for registering the offender (Study 3 and Study 5). Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Criminal Careers of Juvenile Sex and Nonsex Offenders

Developmental criminologists have criticized typologies of juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) for assuming that JSOs involved in nonsexual offending are a homogenous group. However, this criticism has remained largely conceptual. To help empirically address the validity of this criticism, offending trajectories from age 12 to 23 were measured for a sample of male JSOs ( n = 52) and juvenile nonsex offenders (JNSOs; n = 231) interviewed as part of the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender study. Within this predominantly Caucasian sample, whether offender status (JSO/JNSO) or risk factors were better indicators of trajectory group membership was examined. Four unique offending trajectories emerged, namely, a low-rate offending trajectory, a bell-shaped offending trajectory, a slow-rising chronic trajectory, and a high-rate chronic trajectory. The relatively equal distribution of JSOs in each trajectory indicated that the criminal behavior committed by this group was not expressed by just one pattern. Further, the prevalence of JSOs in each trajectory mirrored the prevalence of JNSOs in the same trajectory, suggesting that having a sex offense in adolescence was not informative of general offending patterns. Individual and familial-level risk/needs factors were better indicators of trajectory membership. Implications for existing typologies of JSOs are discussed.

Predictive Validity of the J-SOAP-II: Does Accuracy Differ Across Settings?

Court and mental health workers are frequently asked to determine which juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) are most likely to reoffend. One instrument commonly used to guide decision making with JSOs is the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-II (J-SOAP-II). However, research utilizing this instrument has often generated contradictory results, perhaps related to the types of samples studied. The current study sought to compare the predictive accuracy of the J-SOAP-II across two samples of JSOs (a medium-security correctional setting versus an unlocked residential sex offender treatment program). Although the overall predictive accuracy for identifying post-release arrests for sexual offenses (i.e., sexual recidivism) was modest (AUC = .64) and not statistically significant, differences emerged with regard to the accuracy of some individual scales and subscales. Similarly, while no significant differences in predictive accuracy were observed between the two study sites, a number of interesting findings were observed. These findings highlight the need to consider risk assessment measures in light of the setting in which they are used in order to maximize predictive accuracy and optimize treatment and dispositional decision making.

Disgust Sensitivity Predicts Punitive Treatment of Juvenile Sex Offenders: The Role of Empathy, Dehumanization, and Fear

We explore the possibility that disgust sensitivity predicts attitudes toward a stigmatized, yet vulnerable population: juvenile sex offenders. Participants were 125 undergraduates (66% women, M age = 19) who read a case depicting a 17‐year‐old boy convicted of aggravated child molestation for receiving oral sex from an intoxicated 15‐year‐old girl. Participants subsequently indicated the degree to which they supported registering the juvenile offender as a sex offender and completed a series of case judgments (i.e., belief the defendant is a threat, the dehumanizing belief the defendant is a superpredator, and defendant empathy). Finally, participants provided demographic information and completed the Disgust Sensitivity Scale. In line with our hypotheses, as disgust sensitivity increased, support for juvenile sex offender registration also increased. Yet, this relationship was explained by various mediating factors. Specifically, a series of models tested via path analysis showed that as disgust sensitivity increased, participants’ were more likely to dehumanize the offender as a “superpredator” and experience diminished empathy. In turn, dehumanization and diminished empathy predicted the belief the defendant is a threat to society, which predicted greater registration support.

Protecting the vulnerable? Assessing the constitutionality of the national register for sex offenders in respect of juvenile sex offenders – S v IJ 2013 2 SACR 599 (WCC) and J v National director of public prosecutions 2014 ZACC 13

This contribution deals with the recent judgments pronouncing on the entering of the particulars of child sex offenders into the register for sex offenders as enunciated in Chapter 6 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007. The constitutionality of having juvenile sex offenders' names entered into the National Register of Sex Offenders is scrutinised by the High Court as well as ultimately by the Constitutional Court. A critical analysis specifically of section 50(2) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act is embarked upon with specific reference to the lack of discretion afforded to courts in deciding whether the particular offender's details should be entered or not. The judgment delivered by the Constitutional Court is elucidated, where these provisions were declared unconstitutional in respect of child sex offenders. The decision under discussion is of particular relevance as the court was required to assess the constitutionality of the provisions relating to the Register with specific reference to juvenile sex offenders. The Constitutional Court specifically emphasised the need for an individuated discretion in respect of juvenile sex offenders catering specifically for the needs of juvenile sex offenders. The difference between adult sex offenders and juvenile sex offenders is also emphasised. The approaches followed by both the High Court and the Constitutional Court are provided and discussed, conclusions are reached and recommendations are made. It is suggested that in respect of juvenile sex offenders, a more holistic approach should be adopted with due regard to the Constitution, the objects of the CJA, and the specific circumstances of the offence. Children should be treated in such a way as to promote their dignity as well as their reintegration into society, having regard to the specific circumstances of the offence. In terms of the latter, children should be placed on the Register only if they pose a demonstrable risk and danger to the community.&#x0D;

Give the kid a break—but only if he’s straight: Retributive motives drive biases against gay youth in ambiguous punishment contexts.

Two studies addressed how people punish juvenile sex offenders in ambiguous punishment contexts. Sex offender registry laws now make voluntary sexual activity between juveniles a registration-worthy offense in the U.S. Using contemporary prejudice theories as a theoretical framework, we tested whether the ambiguity surrounding the application of these laws to juveniles provides a context for expression of prejudice against gay youth. In the ambiguous context of 2 juveniles having consensual sex, people supported sex offender registration more for gay, versus heterosexual, offenders. This punishment discrimination did not emerge, however, in the societally less ambiguous context of an adult having sex with a juvenile. Study 2 revealed that punishment discrimination again emerged against gay male juveniles but not lesbian juveniles. Across both studies, punishment discrimination against gay juveniles was consistently mediated by retributive motives (moral outrage), but less consistently by utilitarian motives (concern about protecting society)—the stated legislative purpose of registration.

Protective factors and recidivism in accused juveniles who sexually offended.

To date, research on juvenile sexual offender recidivism has tended to focus on risk factors rather than protective factors. Therefore, very little is known about protective factors in the population of juveniles who sexually offended. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of protective factors on non-recidivism in a sample of accused juveniles who sexually offended (N = 71) in a mean follow-up period of 47.84 months. Protective factors were measured with the Protective Factor Scale of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY), and the Structured Assessment of PROtective Factors for violence risk (SAPROF). Criminal charges served as recidivism data. The internal scale of the SAPROF, in particular, yielded moderate predictive accuracy for the absence of violent and general recidivism, though not for the absence of sexual recidivism. No protective factor of the SAVRY did reveal predictive accuracy regarding various types of the absence of recidivism. Furthermore, protective factors failed to achieve any significant incremental predictive accuracy beyond that captured by the SAVRY risk factors alone. The potential therapeutic benefit of protective factors in juvenile sexual offender treatment is discussed.

Sexual history disclosure polygraph outcomes: do juvenile and adult sex offenders differ?

Despite the empirical and theoretical chasm between the opponents and proponents of polygraphy, its use is prominent among sex offender agencies in the United States. However, current research on polygraph examination outcomes among juvenile sex offenders, along with potential differences from their adult counterparts, is scarce and outdated. In the present study, we assess the difference between juvenile and adult sex offenders in terms of the propensity for passing a sexual history disclosure polygraph examination. A sample of 324 sex offenders (86 juveniles and 238 adults) who engaged in a sexual history disclosure polygraph examination as part of their treatment in an Intermountain West sex offender treatment agency was used for the analysis. Results from preliminary and logistic regression analyses indicate that juvenile and adult offenders do not significantly differ in the likelihood of passing a sexual history disclosure polygraph examination. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Emergence of Nonsexual Crimes and Their Relationship to Sexual Crime Characteristics and the Deviant Arousal of Male Adolescent Sexual Offenders: An Exploratory Study

In this study, we explore nonsexual crimes committed by a sample of 437 incarcerated adolescent sexual offenders as well as deviant arousal and its relationships to nonsexual and sexual crimes. Over 50% of the juvenile sexual offenders in this sample have committed nonsexual offenses. In addition, nonsexual crimes, particularly general delinquency, were significantly correlated to a number of characteristics of sexual crimes committed by the youth. Previous research has shown that sexually abusive youth are more likely to recidivate nonsexual crimes, and among the implications of this study is the need for treatment providers and service delivery systems to address nonsexual as well as sexual crimes.

Executive functioning problems of juvenile sex offenders with low levels of measured intelligence

Background Many hypotheses have been proposed to address the relationship between sex offenders and neuropsychological functions.Method The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in executive functions between juvenile sex offenders and non-sex offenders with/without low IQ by using the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) and the Wechsler IQ Test.Results The sex offenders with low IQ had significantly lower scores than the non-sex offenders with low IQ in switching attention, processing speed, working memory, and prospective memory. No differences between the sex offenders and the non-sex offenders without low IQ were found in all tests.Conclusion These findings show that the neuropsychological characteristics of juvenile sex offenders are related to their IQ level, and suggest that juvenile sexual offending is related to the possibility of having developmental deficits. The combination of cognitive behavioural therapy and neurocognitive training for treatment is therefore important.

Should Criminologists Shift Their Focus Away From Juvenile Delinquency?

This issue of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology shows the journal’s true international character: The authors are from the United States, Switzerland, Israel, Canada, Spain, and South Korea. The issues raised in the articles cover a broad spectrum. They encompass the use of modern technology to prevent crime (Burraston, Bahr, & Cherrington), the prediction of violent sex and other offenses (Laubacher, Rossegger, Endrass, Angst, Urbaniok, & Vetter), psychopathy among juvenile sex offenders (Morrell & Burton), factors related to witnessing of violence (Sherer & Sherer), the relationship between physical and psychological violence and psychopathology (Silva, Grana, & Gonzalez-Cieza), and the relationship between school performance and the likelihood of arrest (Yun, Cheong, & Walsh). Despite this diversity of the topics, all the articles focus on youth. Thus, they are typical for the field of criminology: Various aspects of juvenile delinquency are and always have been a central topic of our discipline. Arguably, the majority of the most influential publications in criminology are about young people. This type of research has also substantially contributed to the development of criminological theories. There are strong reasons for this focus. It is during adolescence that people usually begin to commit crimes. In most individuals, crime also culminates during this period of life. From a preventive point of view, youths are considered to be important. It is generally believed that if these young people have not gone too far in negative development, there should still be time for change! All of these arguments are reasonable, and the articles in many publications, such as those presented in this issue, show that it is possible to conduct interesting and relevant research on youths and crime. However, one may wonder if the criminological focus on youth is not too extensive. It is (as we know from self-report studies) very common for young people to offend. Most young people are never caught for their offenses, are never given any formal sanction, continue to live their lives—often with few more delinquent acts—and eventually grow up to be normal, honest citizens. Some of them may even become criminologists. Viewed from this perspective, juvenile delinquency is a fairly undramatic part of becoming an adult.

Culturally Competent Practice with African American Juvenile Sex Offenders

African American juveniles adjudicated for sexual offenses may struggle with the mistrust of both the judicial and treatment systems. Unlike general mental health services, juvenile sex offender treatment is often mandated by the court or child welfare services, thus these youths and their families must engage in the treatment process. Without clinicians and services that can acknowledge and respond to a minority youth’s experience in a sensitive, culturally competent manner, there could be significant resistance to treatment. Traditional treatment approaches fail to prioritize issues involving cultural competence. This article addresses the unique challenges of African American juvenile sex offenders and makes recommendations for creating culturally competent practice for these youth and their families.

Baby With the Bath Water

Fanniff and Letourneau concluded that neither their review of the published literature nor their own investigation supported the use of Scale 1 of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-II (J-SOAP-II). I argue that empirical findings on Scale 1 are mixed and that there is more support in the literature than one might conclude from reading Fanniff and Letourneau. Their negative conclusions about Scale 1 are based on a flawed literature review as well as problematic methods in their own investigation.