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)
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)
Sibling Incest
 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)
Sibling vs Parental Incest
No Difference

Self-abusive behaviors
Physical problems
Sexual problems
Level of guilt
Shame
(Cole, 1990)
Adolescent Sex Offenders
N = 170
Males
Mean Age = 15

(O’Brien, 1991)
Sample Average Acts

Incest 18
Extrafamilial Molester 4
Nonchild offender 7.4
Mixed 8.5

(O’Brien, 1991)
 Length of Abuse
> 1 Year

 Incest Group 45%

 Extrafamilial Molesters 23%

 Nonchild Offenders 24%

(O’Brien, 1991)
 Intercourse

 Incest 46%

 Extrafamilial Child 28%

 Nonchild Offenders 13%

(O’Brien, 1991)
Age of Victims
< 9 Years-Old

76%

(O’Brien, 1991)
 Other Criminal Acts
 Incest 11%

 Extrafamilial 18%

 Nonchild 26%

(O’Brien, 1991)
Prior Sexual Victimization
 Incest 42%

 Extrafamilial 40%

 Nonchild 29%

(O’Brien, 1991)
 2 or More Victims
 Incest 53%

 Extrafamilial 42%

(O’Brien, 1991)
Adolescent Sex Offenders
 30 to 50% of child molestations

 20% of rapes

(Murphy & Page, 2000)

Adult Sex Offenders with No Juvenile
Charges

33%

Committed undetected sex offenses

(Knight and Prentky, 1993)