NCJ Number
215943
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 50 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 148-165
Date Published
April 2006
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study compared the offending patterns, victim characteristics, and judicial processing characteristics of juvenile female and male sex offenders.
Abstract
Results indicated that females were more likely than males to be younger at the time of their arrest and to choose male and female victims proportionately. Female sex offenders were also more likely than male sex offenders to victimize younger children. Male sex offenders were more likely to choose female victims and to receive lengthier sentences as compared to female sex offenders. Overall, however, both female (59 percent) and male (70 percent) sex offenders were more likely to victimize females. The findings suggest that female sex offenders may begin offending at an earlier age than males and may offend against younger children. Data analyzed for the study included the sex offender registration records and the criminal history records of 61 juvenile female sex offenders and 122 juvenile male sex offenders, which were provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The juvenile sex offender sample under analysis was drawn from all individuals entered on the Texas State registry as sex offenders as of April 27, 2001. All 61 females entered on the registry were analyzed along with a comparison group of 122 males that were matched to the female group on year of birth and race. Data analysis techniques included the use of chi-square analyses and binomial logistic regression models. The unique characteristics of juvenile female sex offenders as compared to juvenile male sex offenders deserve further research attention. Tables, notes, references