NCJ Number
129295
Journal
Forensic Reports Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: (1989) Pages: 25-45
Date Published
1989
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Assessment of the adolescent sexual offender falls in a gray area between (1) general principles of forensic psychology; (2) theoretical, research, and clinical data on adult sex offenders; and (3) developmental/psychosocial data on adolescence. The notion of age-appropriateness (Weiner, 1982) is a key guiding principle in addressing forensic questions such as amenability to treatment as a juvenile, overall treatment prognosis, or incarceration versus community treatment.
Abstract
Similar to the evaluation of adult sex offenders, the assessment of the adolescent sex offender should include (a) a clinical interview and mental status examination; (b) a thorough review of personal, social, educational, vocational, medical, and sexual history; (c) a battery of psychological tests selected for empirical soundness and clinical relevance and chosen on the basis of the multitrait/multimethod model; and (d) a psychophysiological assessment of sexual arousal patterns when a sexual impulse disorder is probable. Unique components of adolescent assessment include interviews of parents, siblings, and other collateral informants such as teachers, employees, probation officers, and the like. The goal is to include an ecological perspective (Melton, Petrila, Pythress, and Slobogin, 1987) in the description of the adolescent's attitudinal, affective, cognitive, and behavioral patterns, and in the estimation of likely response to psychological and/or correctional types of interventions. 33 references (Author abstract)