NCJ Number
214609
Date Published
May 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews research and practice in the area of adolescent sibling incest in Australia and highlights an alternative to removal from the family home.
Abstract
While there has been significant research in the area of adolescent sexual offending, little has been tackled focusing on adolescent sibling incest or intra-familial sex abuse. A priority should be the urgent evaluation of the effectiveness of both community-based and residential treatment programs for young offenders. This paper poses that there are at least two children involved in intra-familial sex abuse and that while protection of the victim must be the first priority, the offender’s developmental needs must also be taken into account. In addition, the response to the relocation for adolescent sibling incest offenders as the best alternative is challenged given the majority of offenders are younger than 15, that attachment bonds in many of these families are already strained, and that treatment takes 12 to 24 months. This paper focuses on the issue of removing the intra-familial adolescent sex offender from the family home and describes an alternative model to relocation being used in Western Australia, SafeCare. SafeCare is a comprehensive service offering treatment to the adolescent offender, child victim, parents, and other affected family members. References