Adolescent Sex Offenders?

Adult Sex Offenders

& Age of Onset

1/3 to 1/2 began offending

In adolescence

(Prentky et al., 2000)

Juvenile Sex Offenders:
Age of Onset

Begin Offending Under Age 12

46%

(Burton, 2000)
 Rise and Fall of Juvenile Crime
1983 – 1992 Arrests
 Girls +85%

 Boys +50%

 Youth in juvenile facilities +41%

( Children’s Defense Fund, 1997)
 Rise of Juvenile Crime
1980 – 1994 Arrests

Violent crimes +64%

Murder +99%

(Butts & Travis, 2002)

Fall in Juvenile Violent Crime
Fell 6 years 1994 – 2000

(Butts & Travis, 2002)

 Decline in Juvenile Crime
Violent Crime

Murder, rape, robbery aggravated assault

-34%
Decline in Juvenile Crime
Arrests
1994 - 2000

Murder -68%
Robbery -51%
Burglary -33%
Rape -25%

(Butts & Travis, 2002)

Decline in Violent Crime
2000 Lowest in 20 years

(Butts & Travis, 2002)

Decline in Juvenile Crime

Largest of any age group

Increases in Juvenile Crime
Arrests
1994 – 2000

DUI +54%
Liquor Law Violations +33%
Drug Abuse +29%
(Butts & Travis, 2002)
Decline in Crime 2008
Violent Crime

1999-2008

Decreased 41%
Decline in Crime 2008
Property Crime

1999-2008

Decreased 32%
 Decline in Crime 2008
Decline in Rape & Sexual Assault

1999-2008

53%
Adolescents & Violent/Sexual Crime
 Age of Onset of Serious Violence

85% of those involved in serious violence by age

27 report that their 1st act occurred between 12
& 20

Peak age of onset 16

Almost no serious violence starts

< age 10 & > age 23
(Prentky 2002)
 Two Onset “Trajectories”
Childhood Onset
strong link between childhood factors
and persistent violence into adulthood

Juvenile Onset:
most violence begins in adolescence,
ends with the transition into adulthood
(Prentky, 2002)
 Onset of Sexual Offending

Incarcerated adolescents N

Onset < 12 48
Onset> 12 130
Offending < and > age 12 65

Seriousness & complexity of sexual acts more

severe for the continuous offenders
(Burton, 2000)
Chronic Juvenile Offenders
% of Offenders % of Crime

6.3% 52%

7.5% 61%

(Wolfgang’s 1958)
 Juvenile Crime

Offenders Crimes

8% 70%

(Beuhring, 2002; Howell, 1995;

Kelley et al., 1997)
 Interaction of Genes and
Environment

Males with low MAOA activity allele

(specific gene)
+
Childhood maltreatment

Increased antisocial behavior

(Beaver, 2008)
 Genetic Contribution to Violent
Behavior

½ Variance in antisocial behavior

Due to genetic factors

( Beaver, 2008; Mason & Frick, 1994; Miles

& Carey, 1997; Rhee & Wald, 2002)
 Genetics & Environment

Interactive

(Rowe, 2002; Rutter, 2006; Walsh, 2002)

 Violence Delinquency Scale
 How many times past 12 months hurt someone
badly enough to require medical attention

 Used a weapon to get something from someone

 Took part in a group fight

(Beaver, 2008)
 Boundaries of
Developmentally Normative
Sexual Behavior
 Normal & Deviant Adolescent
Sexual Behavior

(Adapted from Dr. Robert Prentky &

Dr. William Friedrich)
 “Normal”
 Sexually explicit conversations with peers
 Obscenities and jokes within cultural norm
 Sexual innuendo, flirting and courtship
 Interest in erotica
 Solitary masturbation
 Hugging, kissing, holding hands
 Foreplay, (petting, making out, fondling)
 Mutual masturbation
 Sexual intercourse with consenting partner*
 Deviant Behaviors: Level 1
 High degree of sexual preoccupation and/or anxiety
 Frequent use of pornography or sex shows
 Indiscriminate sexual contact with multiple partners
 Sexually aggressive remarks/obscenities
 Sexual graffiti (especially sexually aggressive images)
 Embarrassment of others with sexual remarks or
innuendo
 Violation of others’ body space
 Pulling skirts up / pants down
 Peeping, exposing or frottage with known agemates
 Obscene gestures or “mooning”
 Deviant Level 1
 Red flags - may signal an abnormally high
degree of sexual preoccupation and/or
sexually aggressive impulses

 Some form of intervention may be

desirable
 Deviant Behaviors: Level 2
 Compulsive masturbation (especially public)
 Degradation/humiliation of self or others
with sexual overtones
 Attempting to expose others’ genitals
 Chronic preoccupation with sexually aggressive
pornography
 Sexually explicit conversation with young children
 Sexualized touching without permission
(grabbing, goosing)
 Sexually explicit threats (verbal or written)
 Obscene phone calls (voyeurism, exhibitionism, frottage)
 Deviant Level 2
 Indicate a high degree of sexual
preoccupation and/or deviant sexual
interests,

 Require intervention
 Deviant Behaviors: Level 3

 Genital touching without permission (e.g.

fondling)
 Sexual contact with significant age difference
(sexual abuse of children)
 Forced sexual contact (any assault having sexual
overtones)
 Forced penetration (vaginal or anal)
 Sexual contact with animals (bestiality)
 Genital injury to others
 Deviant Level 3
 Victim-involved sexual assault

 Require intervention
Risk Assessment
 Risk Assessment:
Impact of Working with Offenders
 N = 200 young offenders of all types
 Sentence = 2 years
 Data:
Presentence
Current offense
Previous convictions
One meeting
(Williams, unpublished)
 Risk Assessment:
Impact of Working with Offenders

 Data:
Original information
Experience of working with offenders
for previous years
(Williams, unpublished)
 Risk Assessment:
Impact of Working with Offenders

Outcome
 1st Evaluation
Moderate correlation with recidivism

 2nd Evaluation
No outcome with recidivism
(Williams, unpublished)
 JSORRAT

Doug Epperson
 Item 1
Number of Adjudications for Sexual
Offenses, including the Current
 One………………………………………0

 Two………………………………………1

 Three…………………………………….2

 Four or more…………………………….3
 Item 1
 Count the number of formal adjudications
for sexual offenses

 Include attempted sex offenses and

conspiracy

 Record the score and NOT the number of

adjudications
 Include all adjudications regardless of the
level of the sex offense (misdemeanor or
felony)

 The number of victims or number of

discrete events does not count – simply
count the number of adjudications
Number of Adjudications
& Recidivism
No. N Sex Recidivism

1 452 6.2%
2 118 26.3%
3 37 35.1%
4+ 29 41.4
(Epperson, 2005)
 Item 2
Number of Different Victims in Charged
Sex Offenses, Including Current

 One………………………………………..0

 Two………………………………………..1

 Three or more ……………………………2

 Item 2
 Count the number of different victims in
charged sex offenses including current

 Record the score, NOT the number of

victims

 For “hands-on” victims, count each distinct

victim in charged offenses
 Item 2
 For “hands-off” exposure offenses
involving groups, count only one victim for
each offense

 The number of events, charges or

adjudications do not count – only the
number of victims of charged sex offenses
 Item 2
 Do not count victims of self-reported or
alleged offenses that were not charged
 Number of Victims

No. N Recidivism
1 442 6.8%
2 116 24.1%
3 + 78 33.3%
(Epperson, 2005)
 Item 3
Length of Charged Sex Offending
History, Including the Current Charge
 Zero time (only one charge).……………..0

 0.01 to 5.99 months.………………………1

 6.00 to 11.99 months.……………………..2

 12 months or longer.………………………3
 Item 3
 Length of time in months between the date of
the first sexual offense CHARGE and the date
of the most recent sexual offense CHARGE

 8 months & 10 days = 8 months

 Count the number of full months between the

two charges
 Duration of Sex Offense History

Duration N Recidivism

0 months(1 charge) 416 5.3%

Up to 6 months 144 17.4%
6 to 12 months 27 37%
12 + 49 55.1%
 J-SORRAT Results

Risk Level Score Juvenile Percent

Recidivists Recidivism
Low 0–2 3/305 1%

Mod/Low 3–4 9/137 6.6%

Moderate 5–7 26/107 24.3%

Mod/High 8 – 11 28/65 43.1%

High 12+ 18/22 81.1%

Results for Juvenile Reoffending
Nearly ½ adolescent sex offenders

1% reoffense rate

30%
Significant risk
Adolescent Sex Offenders

Deviant Arousal

or

Criminal Behavior
 Specialists?
50% Prior Arrests Same Crime

Rapists 14%
Car Thieves 19%
Burglars 25%
Violent Offenders 34%
Robbers 35%
(Cohen, 1986)
 Specialists?
50% of prior crimes were sex offenses

Rapists 4%

Child Molesters 41%

(Lussier et al., 2005)

 Hanson Meta-Analysis
Recidivism

Follow-up = 4 - 5 Years

 New Sex Offense 13%

 Any Offense 37%

(Hanson & Bussiere, 1996)
 Adolescent Sex Offenders:
Sexual vs. General Recidivism
FU up to 6 years

Recidivate
 Sexual 7.5 to 14

 General Criminal 40 to 60

(Langstrom & Grann, 2000)

 Adolescent Sex Offenders

 Committed a non-sex offense 86%

(Jacobs et al., 1997)

 Deviant Arousal or Antisocial
4 variables correctly classified 77% reoffenders

Involvement with delinquent peers

Crimes against persons
Attitudes towards sexual assault
Family normlessness
(Ageton, 1983)
Deviant Arousal or Antisocial

Involvement with delinquent peers

Correctly classified 76% reoffenders

(Ageton, 1983)
Fluidity of Sexual
Preference
 Hunter & Becker, 1994
Hunter, Goodwin, & Becker, 1994

Hypothesized that “the majority of juvenile

offenders, in contrast to most adult
offenders, may not have yet developed a
relatively fixed pattern of sexual arousal
and interest which gives direction to
consistent patterns of behaviour,” Hunter
et al., 1994, p. 536.
 The assumption of greater
developmental fluidity in JSOs is
supported by:
 (1) much higher number of juvenile, as
opposed to adult, offenders with mixed
gender victims;
 (2) relatively high percentage of juveniles
with multiple paraphilias;
 (3) marked differences between juvenile
and adult incest offenders
(Hunter et al., 1994)
 Differences in Incest
 Adult incest offenders:
Less deviant arousal on the PPG
Have fewer victims
Begin offending at a later age.

 Juvenile sex offenders

All less true
Considerable cross-over incest and non-incest
(Hunter et al., 1994)