Adolescent Sexual Offender Recidivism: Success of Specialized Treatment and Implications for Risk Prediction.

Juvenile offenders and victims

Published and unpublished data from nine studies on juvenile sexual offender treatment effectiveness were summarized by meta-analysis (N=2986, 2604 known male). Recidivism rates for sexual, non-sexual violent, non-sexual non-violent crimes, and unspecified non-sexual were as follows: 12.53%, 24.73%, 28.51%, and 20.40%, respectively, based on an average 59-month follow-up period. Four included studies contained a control group (n=2288) and five studies included a comparison treatment group (n=698). An average weighted effect size of 0.43 (CI=0.33–0.55) was obtained, indicating a statistically significant effect of treatment on sexual recidivism. However, individual study characteristics (e.g., handling of dropouts and non-equivalent follow-up periods between treatment groups) suggest that results should be interpreted with caution. A comparison of odds ratios by quality of study design indicated that higher quality designs yielded better effect sizes, though the difference between groups was not significant.

The effectiveness of sexual offender treatment for juveniles as measured by recidivism: a meta-analysis

States have increasingly subject juvenile sexual offenders to sex offender registration and commitment under sexual predator laws in recent years. These statutes assume that sexual offenders present a sustained risk to recommit sexually violent crimes over an extended time period. Implicit in this assumption is that criminal sexual behavior is a product of some form of stable trait or condition that continues to push the juvenile toward sexually violent behaviors as they get older. This article examines these assumptions in light of the available research on the stability of sexually offending behavior in juveniles. The difficulties attendant to applying adult offender risk assessment models to juvenile sexual offenders are addressed. The available evidence indicates that the development and persistence of sexually criminal behavior is poorly understood, making the prediction of sustained sexual offending in juveniles that is required by some sexual predator statutes a particularly difficult task.

What we do not know about juvenile sexual reoffense risk.

The past two decades have seen a movement toward harsher legal sanctions and lengthy, restrictive treatment programs for sex offenders. This has not only been the case for adults, but also for juveniles who commit sex offenses. The increased length and severity of legal and clinical interventions for juvenile sex offenders appear to have resulted from three false assumptions: (1) there is an epidemic of juvenile offending, including juvenile sex offending; (2) juvenile sex offenders have more in common with adult sex offenders than with other juvenile delinquents; and (3) in the absence of sex offender-specific treatment, juvenile sex offenders are at exceptionally high risk of reoffending. The available data do not support any of the above assumptions; however, these assumptions continue to influence the treatment and legal interventions applied to juvenile sex offenders and contributed to the application of adult interventions to juvenile sex offending. In so doing, these legal and clinical interventions fail to consider the unique developmental factors that characterize adolescence, and thus may be ineffective or worse. Fortunately, a paradigm shift that acknowledges these developmental factors appears to be emerging in clinical areas of intervention, although this trend does not appear as prevalent in legal sanctions.

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Juvenile sex offenders: a case against the legal and clinical status quo.

This study assesses the differences between recidivism for adolescent perpetrators of sexual assault against children as compared to adolescent perpetrators of rape. The study finds, with a 2-year minimum follow-up, no evidence of significant differences between the success with either group of offenders. This holds true both for general recidivism and for recidivism of sexual assaultas well as for type and length of sentence for those that reoffended.

A Comparison of Treatment Outcomes between Adolescent Rapists and Child Sexual Offenders

An evaluation of the recidivism rates for 50 adolescent male rapists who had been sentenced to a state juvenile correctional facility was completed. All subjects in this study had committed a sexual assault against a person their age or older. A two-year follow-up of the subjects in this study found that five were reinvolved in a sexual assault. Additionally, 29 of the 50 subjects were convicted of additional charges. Of this, ten youths were placed under supervision and the other 19 subjects were placed in a correctional facility. The treatment program for perpetrators of serious sexual assault was considered to be effective in significantly reducing the likelihood of subjects being involved in another sexual assault within two years after completing the program. Additionally, the program was effective in breaking a pattern of criminal behavior in close to half of the subjects studied.

The Efficacy of a Serious Sex Offenders Treatment Program for Adolescent Rapists

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a cognitive intervention program for juvenile offenders. Using the How I Think (HIT) Questionnaire, 165 offenders from three juvenile correctional facilities in Wisconsin are assessed after completion of the first two phases of the Juvenile Cognitive Intervention Program. Multiple t tests are used to assess change in thinking as measured by the HIT. Results indicate significant improvement in thinking across all areas as measured by the HIT. Discussion regarding the significance of the results and recommendations for future research are provided.

Evaluation of a Cognitive Intervention Program for Juvenile Offenders

This study assessed the effectiveness of a cognitive intervention treatment program for juvenile offenders, which is called the Juvenile Cognitive Intervention Program. The program was provided to incarcerated delinquents at three juvenile correctional facilities in Wisconsin. The results indicated that using the How I Think (HIT) Questionnaire as a measure of change, significant improvement in reducing cognitive distortions were found across age groups and gender, and included individuals who were unable to successfully complete the program the first time and then completed it successfully. The HIT is a measure of cognitive distortions that are associated with delinquent thinking patterns and behavior. Cognitive change is a major focus of treatment programs in juvenile corrections as there has been substantive research demonstrating a link to reduced delinquent and later criminal behavior.

The Effect of a Cognitive Treatment Program for Male and Female Juvenile Offenders

This study looked at 12 juveniles in Wisconsin who were recommended by experts for commitment under Chapter 980, known as the Sexually Violent Person Commitments Act, but who ultimately were not committed. The purpose was to determine the accuracy of these assessments and risk for sexual reoffending for juvenile sexual offenders. The results found a rate of 42% sexual recidivism among these individuals, with a 5-year at-risk period. This figure is in contrast to the low rates of sexual recidivism reported in the general juvenile sexual research. This provides evidence that the capability to assess the risk in juvenile sexual re-offending may at times be higher than previously estimated. Implications of these unusual results are discussed.

Michael P. Hagan

Papers

A Comparison of Treatment Outcomes between Adolescent Rapists and Child Sexual Offenders

The Efficacy of a Serious Sex Offenders Treatment Program for Adolescent Rapists

Evaluation of a Cognitive Intervention Program for Juvenile Offenders

The Effect of a Cognitive Treatment Program for Male and Female Juvenile Offenders

Five-Year Accuracy of Assessments of High Risk for Sexual Recidivism of Adolescents: