NCJ Number
128721
Date Published
1988
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of the extent of the problem of adolescent sexual offenses and summarizes the treatments used for such offenders.
Abstract
Studies have shown that it is common for adult sexual offenders to report the onset of their deviant sexual arousal prior to the age of 18. Groth and others have refuted the earlier findings in the literature that tended to minimize the deviant sexual behavior of male adolescents as being either sexual experimentation or harmless sexual activities. Another study has demonstrated that the number of sexual offenses committed increases as the offender reaches adulthood. The common bond among the adolescent sexual offenders is their participation in coercive or age-inappropriate sexual behaviors. These offenses do not fit into any specific psychiatric diagnostic category. Evaluation of the adolescent sexual offender requires assessment not only of the sexually abusive behavior but also the adolescent's personality, development, and his family dynamics. Treatment methods for such offenders include psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, educational, and biomedical approaches. Many of these approaches are integrated into a comprehensive treatment program. The use of group psychotherapy is crucial in the successful treatment of sex offenders, since denial is more effectively confronted by peers with similar patterns of sexually aggressive behavior. 36 references