NCJ Number
221248
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 46 Issue: 5 Dated: December 2007 Pages: 493-499
Date Published
December 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article concerned with the treatment of children who are convicted of sexual offenses in the criminal justices system, provides a brief survey of the prevalence of sexual offenses committed by children in England and Wales and reviews some of the key legislation that deals with children who commit sexual offenses with a focus on some of the anomalies contained within it.
Abstract
Numerous studies provide a broad consensus that between 25 percent and 35 percent of all alleged sexual abuse involves young perpetrators. In addition, the number of children in custody convicted of sexual offenses has doubled over the last 2 to 3 years with approximately 130 to 140 children in the secure estate at any one time. Although the Sexual Offenses Act 2003 aimed to clarify and consolidate sexual offenses in England and Wales, it is clear that it still requires further amendment or clarification to ensure that it is understood by all and to reduce the scope for criminalizing children who engage in nonabusive consensual sexual behavior. There are clear legal duties to help children who commit sexual offenses and these should be relied upon and used to ensure that children receive the treatment to which they are entitled. Notes, and references