Adolescent Sex Offenders
|
Custom Search
|
Adolescent sex offenders in Canada commit 20% - 30% of the sexual offences. Adolescents who sexually abuse are often acting out their own victimization.
Though offenders in any age category are mostly male (see statistics below), just like adult offenders, juvenile offenders can be either male or female.
Adolescents who offend tend to stay close to home when choosing their victims. A study by Hunter (2000, p. 21) of juvenile offenders who sexually offended against children found that as many as 40% of their victims were either siblings or other relatives.
Some Statistics on Adolescent Offenders:
21% of those charged with sexual assault in Canada are between the ages of 12 and 19 years of age (Children's Aid Society of Toronto, 1999, p. 32).
Approximately 20% of all people charged with a sexual offence in North America are juveniles (Worling & Curwin, 2000, p. 9653).
In an American Justice Department study of 60,991 victims, 23% of all sexual offenders were under age 18. Juveniles aged 12-17 years of age committed 19.5% of these sexual assaults (Snyder, 2000, p. 84).
Adolescent sex offenders usually use verbal coercion rather than violence and aggression to obtain compliance of their victims (Zolondekk et al., 2001, pp. 73-855).
Female adolescent offenders abuse equal numbers of males and females; and in 100% of the cases, the offender was baby-sitting (Rudin et al., 1995, p. 9656).
Types of Adolescent Offenders |
||
|---|---|---|
Those Who Offend Against Peers/Adults | Those Who Offend Against Children | |
| » are aggressive | » have a higher number of male victims | |
| » cause injuries | » 40% of victims are siblings or other relatives | |
| » are likely to use weapons | » can be aggressive/violent, but more frequently use opportunity and guile: trickery, bribery, or threatening loss of relationship | |
| » have a history of non-sexual criminal offences | » lack self-esteem | |
| » display delinquent and conduct-disordered behaviour | » lack social competence | |
| » are more likely to assault females (whether casual acquaintances or strangers) | » show signs of depression | |
...adolescent sex offenders sexually abuse or sexually assault children, peers and adults because they want to. They want to because the sexual activity gives them pleasure. They may also offend because they are angry and want to hurt others. They may offend because they do not care about hurting others. They may be bored and lonely and the sexual activity relieves these feelings. They have fantasized about the offence for some time before the offence, and they will have sexual fantasies about the offence after it has occurred. These sexual fantasies propel adolescent sex offenders down the pathway to the offence. Adolescent sex offenders have a number of beliefs and thoughts that make the offence acceptable and justifies what they do. In a specific case, given the right set of circumstances the adolescent sex offender acts on his feelings and thoughts. And another victim is hurt.
Gingell, 1993, p. 148
For information on treatment, adolescent sex offenders provides some interesting insight.
Sex offender pages on this site:
| Sex Offenders | Adolescent Offenders | Female Offenders |
| Male Offenders | Incestuous Offenders | Internet Offenders |
| Child Offenders |
Sexual Abuse pages on this site:
| Sexual Abuse | Sexual Abuse Victims |
| Sexual Abuse Definition | Male Victims |
| Sexual Abuse Signs | Female Victims |
| Sexual Abuse Effects | Victims with Disability |
| Sexual Abuse Statistics | Sexual Abuse Disclosures |
Child abuse information pages on this site:
|
|
Adolescent Sex Offenders
NOTE: Information pages on this site were based on material from the 
Canadian Red Cross RespectED Training Program. Written permission was obtained to use their copyrighted material on this site.
1 Hunter, J. (2000). Understanding juvenile sex offenders: Research findings and guidelines for effective management and treatment. Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy, University of Virginia: Juvenile Forensic Evaluation Resource Center.
2 Children's Aid Society of Toronto. (1999). Communication online bulletin.
3 Worling, J. & Curwin, T. (2000, July). Adolescent sexual recidivism: Success of specialized treatment and implications for risk prediction. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(7), 965.
4 Snyder, H. (2000, July), Sexual assault of young children as reported to law enforcement: Victim, incident, and offender characteristics. Retrived December, 2002, American Bureau of Justice Statistics Clearinghouse, http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ 312-314.
5 Zolondekk, S., Abel, G., Northy, W., & Jordon, A. (2001). The self reported behaviors of juvenile sex offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16(1), 73-85.
6 Rudin, M., Zalewski, C., & Bodmer-Turner, J. (1995). Characteristics of child sexual abuse victims according to perpetrator gender. Child Abuse and Neglect, 19(8), 963-973.
7 Hunter, J. (2000). Understanding juvenile sex offenders: Research findings and guidelines for effective management and treatment. Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy, University of Virginia: Juvenile Forensic Evaluation Resource Center.
8 Gingell, C. (1993). Adolescent sex offenders: "No more victims". Vancouver, B.C.: Institute on Family Violence.