NCJ Number
98473
Date Published
1983
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This description of the Juvenile Abuser Treatment Program (JATP) at Children's Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., a program for intrafamily juvenile sexual offenders, covers program rationale, eligibility criteria, and program structural components.
Abstract
Begun in 1980, JATP provides an alternative to the traditional approaches of removing the juvenile incest offender from the home, removing the victim from the home, or placing the offender on unsupervised probation. The program accepts referrals for evaluation provided the juvenile is between 12 and 17 years old. Additional eligibility requirements include (1) conformity to JATP's definition of sexual abuse (forced sexual contact), (2) the juvenile's consent to treatment and appropriate disclosure of treatment information, (3) conditions related to the criminal or juvenile justice system processing of the case, and (4) mental health screening criteria. Potential clients judged to have a poor prognosis for treatment based upon testing results may be excluded from the program. The structural components of the current treatment model are individual victim counseling/therapy, parental counseling/therapy, individual juvenile abuser counseling/therapy, and family therapy. As of March 1982, JATP staff had evaluated just over 60 juvenile abusers for possible inclusion in the program, and more than half were accepted. Only four had completed treatment as of March 1982, with an additional three juveniles terminating treatment against caseworker advice. The lack of formal focused treatment for juvenile sexual offenders within the juvenile corrections system often places the courts and JATP staff in the position of having to choose between incarceration for the juvenile without treatment or community supervision with treatment. Twenty-four references are listed.