Juvenile Sex Offenders: Characteristics, Assessment, and Treatment

1. Juvenile Sex Offenders: Characteristics, Assessment, and Treatment By: Dr. Brad Hedges Mid-Ohio Psychological Services 624 East Main Street Lancaster, Ohio 43130 (740) 687-0042 bradhedges@mopsohio.com

2. Introductions • Name • Position • Experience with Perpetrators/Victims • One Unique Term for Sexual Anatomy

3. Goals • Normal/abnormal sexual behavior • Dynamics of sexual offenders • Uniqueness of various offender populations • Multi-system needs • What is good assessment? • Treatment options

4. Agenda • Theoretical • Normal vs. Abnormal Sexuality • Developmental Sexuality • Why do they do it? • Practical • Disclosure/initiation • Assessment • Intervention • Case closure/reunification

5. Sex Ed Test

6. Why are we here? • Reduce victimization • Help youth “normalize” sexual behavior

7. Story

8. What is “abnormal” sexual behavior? • Statistical norm? • Community standard? • DSM IV? • Personal value? • Legal Definition?

9. Exercise: What is “normal” sexual behavior? • What is the developmental task of this age group? • What is the normal overt sexual behavior for this age? • What do they do in secret?

10. What is Normal Sexual Development?

11. What is Normal Sexual Development?

12. What is Normal Sexual Development?

13. What is Normal Sexual Development?

14. What is Normal Sexual Development?

15. What is Normal Sexual Development? (cont.)

16. What is Normal Sexual Development? (cont.)

17. What is Normal Sexual Development? (cont.)

18. What is Normal Sexual Development? (cont.)

19. What is Normal Sexual Development? (cont.)

20. Culpability • Mental Culpability • Physical Culpability • Sexual Culpability

21. Culpability • Mental Culpability • Intelligence • Developmental Status • Moral Development • Amount of planning/grooming used • Previous condemnation for behavior • Absence of inhibitors Adapted from Jan Hindman

22. Culpability (cont.) • Physical Culpability • Size Difference • Amount of Force/Coercion Used • Number of Contacts • Sexual Culpability • Sexual Knowledge • Personal Victimization • Sexual Behavior Experience • Variety of Sexual Behavior With “Contact” Adapted from Jan Hindman

23. Evaluating the Sexual Behavior of Children • Read each case as a group • Apply concept of culpability • Review range of sexual behavior • Decide if Normative/Concern/Abusive

24. Who are offenders? • Are they Male/Female? • Are they Young or Old? • What is their IQ? • Are they Rich/Poor? • Are they from certain cultural groups?

25. The Sexual Abuse Cycle

26. Etiology of Sexual Deviancy Biological Issues Developmental Issues Personality Characteristics Environmental Issues ABUSE • Life Stressors • Substance Abuse • Rejection • Other • Hormonal Imbalances • Brain Structure Problems • Appearance Issues • Traumatic Events • Family of Origin Structure • Deviation from “Normal • Sexual Development” • Aggression • Socialization • Addiction Preconditions • Motivation for Abuse • Internal Inhibitors • Access to Victims • Overcome Victim Resistance • 1991 Bradley A. Hedges

27. Circumplex Model Chaotic Disengaged Enmeshed Rigid David Olson, Candyce Russell, Douglas Sprenkle, 1979

28. Other Family Dynamic Issues • Intergenerational issues • Communication patterns • Conflicting parental roles • Emotional deprivation • Abuse of power

29. The Paradigm Shift • Who is the client • What is the goal of intervention • Personal values • Limits of confidentiality

30. Meagan’s Law • Now applies to both adults and kids • Requires various levels of notification for Sexual Predators, Habitual Sexual Offenders, and Sexually Oriented Offenders • Big Problems! • No clear criteria • Decreases conviction rates • False sense of security: People identified who are not a risk, fail to identify people who are a risk

31. Guiding Ethical Concepts • Non-malfeasance • Beneficence • Autonomy/least restrictive environment

32. Case Planning Phases • Disclosure/panic phase • Assessment phase • Intervention phase • Client treatment • Placement/supervision • Closure phase

33. Exercise • What is the task to be accomplished in each phase? • What emotions must be managed in each phase? • What are the overt/covert needs in each phase? • What resources are needed in each phase?

34. Disclosure Phase • Gather as much information as possible • Stabilize the situation

35. “Sexually abusive youth should always be removed from the home when the victim is in the family unit, at least during the assessment phase of intervention.” (The Revised Report for the National Task Force on Juvenile Sexual Offending, 1993 of the National Adolescent Perpetrator Network, p.18)

36. Assessment Performed by competent evaluator Culturally sensitive Comprehensive/ongoing Must include collateral information Must be offense specific

37. Goal of Assessment Identify factors contributing to offence Environmental factors Familial factors Individual factors Assess risk for further acting out Provide recommendations for intervention

38. Risk Assessment • Clinical Assessment • Based on clinical experience and describes the interaction of dynamic factors • Actuarial Assessment • Based on statistical analysis of known recidivists • Best predictors include: • Age of Victim • Level of Habituation • Gender of Victim

39. Structure of Assessment Procedure Background information Sexual history Offence Etiology Risk assessment Intervention recommendations

40. Review Assessment

41. Intervention Supervision Treatment + Intervention

42. “Prosecution should be a component of most interventions in juvenile offenses” (The Revised Report for the National Task Force on Juvenile Sexual Offending, 1993 of the National Adolescent Perpetrator Network, p.18)

43. Continuum of Supervision Incarceration Free in Society

44. Control of Environment Electronic monitoring Assessing environment Random checks/changing routine

45. Treatment Group vs. Individual Sex Education Social Skills Relationship Skills Fantasy Management Victim Empathy Relapse Prevention Family Therapy

46. Reunification Not always appropriate Must be done incrementally, based on victim/perpetrator dynamics Follow guidelines Utilize feedback of monitors/treatment providers

47. Exercise I am __________________ (victim/perpetrator/father/mother/sibling) and my greatest concern is __________________________ and I feel ________________________________________

48. Juvenile Sex Offenders: Characteristics, Assessment, and Treatment By: Dr. Brad Hedges Mid-Ohio Psychological Services 624 East Main Street Lancaster, Ohio 43130 (740) 687-0042 bradhedges@mopsohio.com