Sexually Offending Children: An Empirical Overview

1. Sexually Offending Children:An Empirical Overview Gregory A. Hand, B.S. Lindsey N. Devers, M.S. Kristin P. Winokur, Ph.D. JUSTICE RESEARCH CENTER 2898 Mahan Drive, Suite 4 Tallahassee, FL 32308 (850) 521-9900 www.thejrc.com

2. Presentation Summary • Presentation Summary • Statistics • Characteristics and Risk Factors • Offenders • Victims • Offender and Victim Services • Typologies of Adolescent and Adult Sex Offenders • Assessments for Adolescent Offenders and Victims • Treatment for Adolescent Offenders and Victims • Summary Findings

3. Statistics • It is estimated that adolescents (ages 13 to 17) account for up to one-fifth of all rapes and one-half of all cases of child molestation committed each year (Barbaree, Hudson and Seto, 1993; Fehrenbach et al., 1986). • However, despite this concern, the National Crime Victimization Survey (2008) reports that rape and sexual assaults of juveniles have dropped (Rand, 2009). • From 2002 through 2008, overall sexual rape/assaults among youth 12-15 has decreased by 24% and among youth aged 16-19 by 60%.

4. Characteristics & Risk Factors Offenders • The most salient characteristic of sexual offenders is that they themselves have been a victim of sexual abuse. However, while past sexual victimization can increase the likelihood of sexually aggressive behavior, most children who are sexually abused will not commit further abuse (Becker and Murphy, 1998). • Juvenile sex offenders frequently engage in nonsexual criminal and antisocial behavior • Children who committed sex offenses vary in characteristics according to: • Types of offending behaviors, • Histories of child maltreatment, • Sexual knowledge and experiences, • Academic and cognitive functioning, and • Mental health issues.

5. Characteristics & Risk Factors of Offenders (Cont’d) • Childhood experiences of being sexually or physically abused, being neglected, and witnessing family violence have been independently associated with sexual violence in juvenile offenders • Other salient offender characteristics include but are not limited to: • The number of incidents of abuse in their past, • Exposure to domestic violence, and • Parenting styles. • These are all important factors when discerning offenders from victims and when analyzing offending patterns and trends (Hunter and Figueredo, 2000; Maker, Kemmelmeier and Peterson, 2001; Small and Kerns 1993).

6. Characteristics & Risk Factors of Offenders (Cont’d) • Additionally, some personality characteristics are also common correlates of juvenile sexual offending (Hunter and Figueredo, 2000; Maker, Kemmelmeier and Peterson, 2001; Worling, 1995). They include but are not limited to: • Anxiety, • Aggression, • Depression, • Mental health, • Narcissism, • Pessimism, • Sexual dysfunction, and • Self-sufficiency.

7. Characteristics & Risk Factors of Offenders (Cont’d) • Moreover, youth who are engaged in sexually assaultive type behaviors have frequently been diagnosed with other cormorbid behaviors (See Schwartz, 2009 2:5-12 for a brief synopsis). These include: • Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder, • Substance abuse, • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), • Developmental Disabilities and Learning Disorders, • Autism and Asperser’s syndrome, • Bipolar Disorders, • Reactive Attachment Disorder, • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and • Biological deficits.

8. Characteristics & Risk Factors of Offenders (Cont’d) Offender Risk Factors • The most comprehensive analysis of 813 sexually abusive juveniles was conducted in Massachusetts by Schwartz and colleagues (2006). • They found that common characteristics of juvenile sex offenders had a history of: • Pregnancy and birth complications (25%), • Alcohol abuse during pregnancy (15%), • Drug abuse during pregnancy (20%), • Head trauma (14%), and • They were more likely to attend Special Education classes.

9. Characteristics & Risk Factors of Offenders (Cont’d) • They also found that offenders are often characterized by instability within the home including: • An early age of placement in a foster home (7 years), • Early placement in a residential facility (11 years), • A large number of placements in a home (5 times), and • A large number of total changes in their living situation (10 times).

10. Characteristics & Risk Factors of Offenders (Cont’d) • More comprehensive meta-analytical investigations have yielded a number of risk factors specifically in regards to recidivism studies for juvenile sex offenders. • Roberts and colleagues (2002) identified two risk factors domains: sexual deviance and antisocial activity. • These two risk factors have also been used in other meta-analyses (See Hanson and Bussiére, 1998; McCann and Lussier, 2008).

11. Characteristics & Risk Factors of Offenders (Cont’d) • McCann and Lussier (2008:369) modified Hanson and Bussiére’s (1998) risk factors associated with sexual deviance in their meta-analysis which included 18 studies and a total of 3,189 sex offenders. • They also established seven categories of risk including: • Criminal history, • Offense characteristics, • Victim characteristics, • Psychological, • Behavioral characteristics, • Antisociality, and • Sexual deviancy.

12. Characteristics & Risk Factors Victims • Victims are overwhelming more likely to be females (Hunter and Figueredo, 2000). • The most common outcomes of victims of child peer sexual abuse in both the short term and the long terms are: depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and sexualized behaviors (Browne and Finkelhor, 1986; Paolucci et al., 2001). • Other short term effects include: low self-esteem, anxiety, guilt, depression, anger and hostility (Bietchman et al, 1991; Browne and Finkelhor, 1986). Additionally, they may include suicide, running away, truancy, alcohol/drug abuse and sexual promiscuity (Bietchman et al, 1991). • Long term effects of victimization can include: self destructive behaviors, feelings of isolation, poor self-esteem, difficulty trusting others and revictimization (Briere and Elliot, 1994; Browne and Finkelhor, 1986; Hunter and Figueredo, 2000).

13. Characteristics & Risk Factors of Victims (Cont’d) • Carpenter and colleagues (2009) found that victims of child abuse were more likely to score higher on the Schizoid, Avoidant and the Depression scale. • In general, there are little empirically sound studies which assess victim characteristics to make any conclusive statements, except that the victim is most often female and victims are likely to experience some form negative mental health.

14. Offender and Victim Services Typologies • In order to define what types of offenders are within the population, children with significant sexual behavior problems need to be defined differently from those children who have normal sexual behavior. • As noted above, there are no studies which validate these differences; however, there are various chapters which describe the differences between the two (Beech, Craig and Browne, 2009; Phil, 2009). • Despite this problem with the empirical literature, there are several typologies used when classifying youths who engage in risky sexual behavior.

15. Offender and Victim Services: Typologies (Cont’d) • Berliner and colleagues (1986) created a classification system of sexual problematic behaviors in children which outlines three types of sexually inappropriate behavior: precocious, inappropriate and coercive sexual behaviors. • Knight and Prentky (1993) included six categories of offenders including: rapists, child molesters, sexually reactive, fondlers, paraphilic offenders and unclassifiable. • Hunter and colleagues (2003) identified three prototypes: lifestyle persistent, adolescent onset/nonparaphilic and early adolescent onset or paraphilic. • One problem noted with the use of these typologies is that they are often complex and they are not mutually exclusive.

16. Offender and Victim Services Assessments for Adolescent Offenders and Victims • Comprehensive assessments of individuals are needed to facilitate treatment and intervention strategies. • These include assessments of each juvenile’s needs (psychological, social, cognitive and medical), family relationships, risk factors and risk management possibilities (Righthand and Welch, 2001). • It is important that parents and guardians of adolescents are involved in the assessment and treatment process in order to provide more holistic treatments and to modify the treatment schedule based on the family’s need. • Additionally, families and adolescents should be notified of confidentiality protocols and policies concerning what types of incidents must be reported to the authorities during the assessment process.

17. Offender and Victim Services: Assessments (Cont’d) • According to Saunders and colleagues (2004:28-34) there are four primary domains which require assessment: • Intellectual and neurological, • Personality functioning, • Psychopathology, • Behavioral and sexual deviance. • Risk assessment accuracy in predicting treatment and recidivism are an essential piece of the assessment process. • There have been few studies which assess the accuracy of these measures. • Those tools which have been assessed will be reviewed briefly.

18. Offender and Victim Services: Assessments (Cont’d) • The Child Sexual Behavior Inventory-2 (Friedrich, Beilke and Purcell, 1989) is a 35-item instrument completed by a parent or caregiver to determine the presence and intensity of a range of sexual behaviors in children ages 2 to 12. • The instrument assesses the child’s sexual behaviors and studies conducted by researchers have yielded this a valid and effective instrument (Bonner et al., 1998; Friedrich, 1998). • Parks and Bard (2006) examined differences in recidivism risk factors and traits for three groups of male adolescent sexual offenders (N = 156): offenders against children, offenders against peers or adults and mixed type offenders. • The analysis utilized these typologies to test recidivism among sexual and nonsexual crimes. • Data indicated that about 6% of the sample reoffended sexually and about 30% reoffended nonsexually.

19. Offender and Victim Services: Assessments (Cont’d) • One of the first major evaluations based on risk assessments was conducted by Parks and Bard (2006). • This study examined differences in recidivism risk factors and traits for three groups of male adolescent sexual offenders (N = 156): offenders against children, offenders against peers or adults and mixed type offenders. • The analysis utilized these typologies to test recidivism among sexual and nonsexual crimes. • Data indicated that about 6% of the sample reoffended sexually and about 30% reoffended nonsexually.

20. Offender and Victim Services: Assessments (Cont’d) • Risk assessments were completed using the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-II (JSOAP-II) and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV). • Using analyses of variance, they found that mixed type offenders produced higher risk scores than those who offended against children or adult/peers. • Additionally, they found Impulsive/Antisocial Behavior scale of the JSOAP-II and the interpersonal and antisocial factors of the PCL: YV were significant predictors of sexual recidivism. • The behavioral and antisocial factors of the PCL: YV were found to be significant predictors of nonsexual recidivism. • Despite this finding, other researchers have found that the JSOAP-II and the PCL:YV assessments are not predictive of adolescent violent recidivism for sex offenders (Viljoen et al., 2008; 2009).

21. Offender and Victim Services: Assessments (Cont’d) • Other assessments to consider for sexual reoffending include: • Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest, • Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism (ERASOR), Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool, • Multiphasic Sex Inventory, • Rosenberg Sexual Deviance Deception Assessment, • Sexual Interest and Deviancy Assessment, • Sexual Violence Risk-20 (SVR-20), and • The Sex Offense and Development Assessment (See Saunders, 2004: 24-30 for more detail on these instruments). • In regards to sexual reoffending, there is not overwhelming empirical support for an accurate assessment which predicts recidivism in regards to adolescent juvenile sex offenders.

22. Offender and Victim Services Treatment for Adolescent Offenders and Victims • Treatment effective studies have yielded inconsistent results. • Very few evaluations that are methodologically sound have been completed in order to have definitive conclusions about treatment effectiveness. • While some programs find evidence that treatment reduces reoffense rates of juvenile sex offenders, other studies indicate that only some kinds of treatment are effective for only some kinds of offenders. • Two noted findings include: that juvenile sex offenders are more likely than adults to respond positively to treatment and that they are also less likely to recidivate than adults (Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, 2000; Worling and Curwin, 2000).

23. Offender and Victim Services: Treatment (Cont’d) • Many of the treatments that are available address both the victims and the offender. However, there are some interventions that are geared specifically toward offenders. • Saunders and colleagues (2004) have one of the most comprehensive analyses in regards to the various interventions available for youth who are physically and sexually abused. • They highlight two specific interventions which address offender behaviors:adolescent sex offender treatment and adult child molester treatment. • Both treatments use cognitive behavioral and adjunctive therapies to help offenders develop motivation to change, replacement therapy which helps change negative or risky thought patterns, and that promote prosocial behaviors (Saunders et al., 2004:93-98). • A major finding which came from this meta-analysis was that there is no clear evidence in favor or in disfavor of treatment.

24. Offender and Victim Services: Treatment (Cont’d) • Moreover, their analyses highlights the importance of approaching treatment by using a multifaceted approach to behavior change because most studies report higher rates of non-sexual than sexual recidivism. • Some common practices among clinical practices include: • Involving families in the treatment, • Peer group therapy, and • Other cognitive behavioral approaches. • This analysis also found some evidence which bolsters support for the Multisystemic Therapy (MST) approach in treating sex offenders (See Swenson et al., 1998; Letourneau, 2009).

25. Offender and Victim Services: Treatment (Cont’d) • Since the 2004 analysis, there has been more evidence in support in favor of MST. • One study utilized a factorial design with random assignment of youth to different treatment conditions (Letourneau et al., 2009). • These results indicate that youth who participated in MST reported significantly greater reduction in problem sexual behavior, delinquent behavior and decreased substance use one year after completion of MST. • There was also some evidence that MST proved more effective than other juvenile sexual offending interventions with mental health overtime.

26. Offender and Victim Services: Treatment (Cont’d) • One recent longitudinal studies completed by Zimring and colleagues (2009) offered an analysis based on repeat juvenile sex offenders through age 26. • They had four major findings from their analysis using 221 male and female juvenile sex offenders. • Through the first eight years of adulthood, only 10% of youth were charged with another sex-related offense. • Ninety-two percent (92%) of the males in the sample did not have a prior juvenile sex offense. • A male with no prior sex offenses but five or more police contacts were more than twice as likely to have a sex-related offense as an adult compared to those adolescents who had less than five police contacts overtime. • Last, multinomial logistic regression showed that being a juvenile sex offender did not significantly increase the chance of becoming an adult juvenile sex offender.

27. Offender and Victim Services: Treatment (Cont’d) • This is a rather an important issue which should be considered prior to formulating and supporting such policies towards juvenile sex offenders that have not received empirical support. • For example, tracking and sex offender registration of juvenile sex offenders often has negative consequences on those youth who are labeled as “sex offenders” within their community and schools. • Particularly when such directives assumes that these types of offenders pose a larger risk to sexually offend when in fact evidence to date suggests that they pose a greater risk in nonsexually reoffending (Swanson et al., 2003; Zimring, 2003; 2009). • Thus, State and Federal policies on treatment for juvenile sex offenders should encompass a holistic approach that is evidence based and which accurately assesses both the need and risk of juvenile sex offenders.

28. Summary Findings Offender Characteristics and Risk Factors • Offenders are subject to a wide range of negative personality traits, problem behaviors and they have a history of instability within the family. • Girl offenders are more likely to be exposed to sexual abuse, have an earlier age of onset and are more likely to witness trauma than male juvenile offenders. • Major risk factors for recidivism for juvenile sex offenders are based out of six categories of risk: criminal history, offense characteristics, victim characteristics, psychological and behavioral characteristics, antisociality and sexual deviancy. • Juvenile sex offenders are a distinct type of sex offender compared to adults.

29. Summary Findings (Cont’d) Victim Characteristics and Risk Factors • There are few empirically sound studies which assess victim characteristics. One finding from these articles indicates that victim characteristics do not seem to impact recidivism for the offender. • Victims are most often female. • Victims are likely to experience some form negative mental health.

30. Summary Findings (Cont’d) Typologies of Adolescent and Adult Sex Offenders • There are numerous typologies for juvenile sex offenders which are often overlapping and are not mutually exclusive. • Some studies have shown evidence to date which shows that certain types of juvenile offenders (mixed offenders) are more likely to recidivate.

31. Summary Findings Assessments for Adolescent Offenders and Victims • There are few assessments which have some empirical support to predict recidivism. • The Impulsive/Antisocial Behavior scale of the JSOAP-II and the interpersonal and antisocial factors of the PCL: YV were significant predictors of sexual recidivism. • There is a substantial need to empirically test all assessments that are being used on juvenile sex offenders.

32. Summary Findings (Cont’d) Treatment for Adolescent Offenders and Victims • Trauma-Focus CBT and Adult Child Molester Treatments have received substantial support as an effective treatment for sex offenders. • Multisystemic Therapy has received the most empirical support in treating juvenile sex offenders. • Adolescent sex offenders who have no prior sexual offenses but have multiple police contacts are more likely to have a sex related an offense as an adult than those who have less police contacts. . • Adolescents who sexually offend are not more likely to become sexual offenders as adults.

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