NCJ Number
117987
Date Published
1987
Length
107 pages
Annotation
This report concludes a 2-year study of juvenile sexual offenders who participated in offense-specific treatment at any of 10 Washington State project sites between March 1, 1984, and October 31, 1984.
Abstract
Research tasks consisted of a survey and description of the 10 projects and the collection and analysis of case-level and criminal history data for each of the juveniles in the study sample (221). Treatment for the "typical" juvenile sexual offender consisted of individual therapy in combination with some other mode, such as group or family therapy. The "typical" juvenile sex offender pled or was found guilty as charged and was incarcerated in a local detention facility or State institution. He was required to undergo sex offender specific treatment in a community program or at an institution. Although he admitted his offense, he blamed it on the victim or someone/something other than himself. He was a "loner," isolated from his peers and without an experience of an age-appropriate sexual relationship. Slightly less than one-half of the juveniles recidivated; only 7.5 percent were convicted of new sexual offenses. The sexual recidivists tended to blame their victims, verbally threatened their victims, or forced their victims to masturbate them. No juveniles assessed by their therapists as capable of monitoring themselves were convicted of new sexual offenses. 25 references, appended data on each project.