Calculating Number of Offenses and Victims of Juvenile Sexual Offending: The Role of Posttreatment Disclosures

• NCJ Number: 188438
• Journal: Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2001 Pages: 79-90
• Author(s): Amy J. L. Baker; Risa Tabacoff; Gabril Tornusciolo; Marvin Eisenstadt
• Date Published: April 2001
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This research compared agency data with information available from clinicians once youth and their families had been in treatment for at least 6 months to assess the extent to which juvenile sex offenders and their families would disclose additional offenses and victims and a violent and sexualized family context once they were in treatment.

Abstract

The 47 participants were all males and were 12- to 17-years-old. They included 43 adjudicated sex offenders and 4 nonadjudicated sex offenders from 3 of the 4 licensed programs in New York State. All had entered treatment between 1997 and 1999 and had been in treatment from 6 months to 3 years at the time of the study. Results revealed that over the course of treatment, youth and their families disclosed information about additional victims and offenses, physical and sexual abuse of the offenders, and several aspects of a violent and sexualized family context. More than half of the youths reported additional victims, additional offenses, or both. These disclosures resulted in significant increases in the numbers of reports of physical abuse, witnessing of domestic assault, living in a sexual environment, maternal sexual victimization, maternal victimization of domestic violence, and fathers being perpetrators of domestic violence. Findings indicated that researchers need to collect data beyond what was available on admission to an agency. Findings also support the clinical wisdom that many adolescent sex offenders and their families withheld crucial information until a therapeutic alliance had been established. Findings also indicated the importance of acknowledging the role of the family in the development of juvenile sex offending and suggested that a developmentally appropriate treatment approach would certainly entail the inclusion of the youth’s family. Tables and 29 references (Author abstract modified)