Factors Associated With Recidivism in Juveniles: An Analysis of Serious Juvenile Sex Offenders

• NCJ Number: 197446
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 39 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2002 Pages: 421-436
• Author(s): Michael H. Miner
• Date Published: November 2002
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): MNDOC085388011
• Sponsoring Agency: Minnesota Dept of Corrections
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study used four Cox regression analyses to identify the predictors of reoffending in a sample of 86 male adolescents adjudicated as delinquent for the commission of sexual offenses and then treated in a corrections-based sex offender treatment program.

Abstract

The study participants were 86 of 121 residents of a corrections-based juvenile sex offender program in Minnesota; they were admitted to treatment between March 10, 1993, and December 27, 1995. To be admitted to the program, the juveniles were required to have been adjudicated delinquent for some type of sexual offense and then either failed a community-based residential sex offender treatment program or been found to be unsuitable for such a program. Data were collected from a detailed review of institutional charts, using a protocol adapted from the Massachusetts Treatment Center Coding Dictionary for Criminal and Clinical Files (Knight et al., 1989). The risk assessment variables measured were preoccupation with children, social competence, antisocial behavior, impulsivity, any male victim, the number of prior sexual offenses, and paraphilias (the presence of fetishism, transvestitism, and promiscuity). Recidivism was defined as an arrest, conviction, or parole violation that resulted from any type of new criminal behavior. The findings show that increased risk for reoffending was associated with impulsivity, involvement with significantly younger children, younger age at first offense, and shorter treatment stays. Decreased risk for reoffending was associated with having a male victim, having been a sexual abuse victim, and multiple paraphilias. These factors were not all stable across analyses, however. One implication of these findings is that the risk prediction methods used for adult sex offenders would not be appropriate for adolescent populations. More research is required before the development of such tools for adolescents is attempted. 2 tables, 4 notes, and 44 references