NCJ Number
130040
Journal
Child Welfare Volume: 70 Issue: 3 Dated: (May-June 1991) Pages: 333-345
Date Published
1991
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Retrospective case data were studied on 221 juvenile sexual offenders who entered one of 10 treatment programs in Washington including court-sponsored outpatient programs, university-based outpatient programs, and institutional-based correctional treatment programs. The study assessed the efficacy of institutional versus community-based treatment and identified factors related to the recidivism among this population of offenders.
Abstract
The independent variables used in the study included demographic characteristics, history of abuse and family dysfunction, sexual offense characteristics, juvenile justice system responses, offender responses to treatment, location and type of treatment, reason for treatment termination, and prior convictions. Several significant results were recorded. Over half the juvenile sexual offenders had a previous nonsexual criminal history and nearly half committed other offenses during a mean 20-month follow-up period. Youths with at least one prior conviction were more likely to reoffend criminally, however the sexual reoffense rate was only 7.5 percent. All those offenders who were diverted from formal adjudication reoffended criminally. While few variables were related to sexual reoffending, community-based outpatient treatment was generally as effective as incarceration in preventing recidivism. 4 tables and 13 references (Author abstract modified)