NCJ Number
170398
Journal
Preventing Sexual Abuse Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1986) Pages: 1-4
Date Published
1986
Length
4 pages
Annotation
After reviewing studies that show juvenile sex offenders to be a serious social problem, this paper describes the Program for Healthy Adolescent Sexual Expression (PHASE) and presents the cases of seven types of juvenile sex offenders, using them to develop offender typologies and treatment strategies.
Abstract
PHASE was established in 1981 in response to the increased awareness of the prevalence and seriousness of adolescent sexual offenses. It is an outpatient, family-centered program for the assessment and treatment of adolescents who behave in sexually inappropriate or victimizing ways. The adolescents treated at PHASE appear to fall into seven distinct groups, based on their behaviors and associated personal and family variables. The "native experimenter" is usually young (age 11-14) and has little previous history of acting out; he tends to be sexually naive, and the abuse is usually situationally determined by opportunity. The "undersocialized child exploiter" suffers from chronic social isolation and has few friends his own age; he gravitates toward younger children and has little history of acting-out socially. The abusive behavior can reflect a chronic pattern of sexual behaviors with children. The "pseudo-socialized child exploiter" is generally an older adolescent who has good social skills and is comfortable, but not intimate, in peer settings; he has little or no history of acting-out socially; he may be a victim of early childhood abuse. The "sexual aggressive" is typically a product of a disorganized and abusive family; he has a long history of antisocial behaviors and poor impulse control; the sexual abuse typically involves the use of forced threats or violence. The "sexual compulsive" usually is from a family that is rigidly enmeshed, with the parents often being emotionally repressed; he engages in a repetitive, sexually arousing behavior of a compulsive or addictive nature. The "disturbed compulsive" may have a history of psychological, family, substance abuse, or learning problems. Sexual abuse is impulsive, reflecting an acute disturbance of reality testing. Finally, the "group-influenced" offender is usually a younger teen who is not likely to have past contact with the juvenile justice system; the sexual abuse occurs with a peer group present. For each of the types of offenders, this paper offers treatment suggestions. 4 references