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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The goal of this research by Smith was to examine the relationship between delinquency and abuse in juvenile sexual offenders.
METHODOLOGY:
The author employed a quasi-experimental cross-sectional design with a non-probability sample of 450 male juvenile sexual offenders in the Juvenile Sexual Offender Program of the Adolescent Clinic of the University of Washington between November, 1976 and October, 1983. Each subject and his family were interviewed between two and four times, with an evaluator completing a data form at the conclusion of each interview. Information included on this form included nature of the offense, prior criminal history, physical or sexual abuse victimization in the subject's background, demographics and educational information about the offender's family, and quality of social relationships of the individual. In January, 1981, however, a substantial change was made to the format of the data form, resulting in different questions and measurements. The two samples, those evaluated before this modification and those included after the new form was initiated, were therefore treated as two separate samples for purpose of analysis. Analyses were conducted upon the data forms that were completed after the interviews with the subjects. Subjects were compared on the basis of whether or not they displayed a pattern of delinquent behavior, and whether or not they experienced any physical or sexual abuse themselves. These groups were then compared on an index of the seriousness of the offense for which they were referred. Seriousness was defined in terms of four indices: the use of violence, force or a weapon during commission of the offense, whether the offense was classified as rape (sexual penetration - most serious), indecent liberties or as an offense that involved no physical contact (such as exposure or obscene telephone calls - least serious), whether the victim was younger than the subject by at least four years (most serious), or was the same age or older (less serious), or whether the victim was a member of the offender's family (most serious), an acquaintance, or a stranger (least serious). Analyses involved chi-square and t-tests of each of the two samples (Sample 1 n=297, Sample 2 n=153), and was aimed at answering two questions: 1) are serious sexual offenders more likely to exhibit delinquent behavior? and 2) are serious sexual offenders more likely to have been victimized themselves?
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author found that the two samples did not differ significantly in history of nonsexual or sexual delinquency, although Sample 2 had more offenders with a history of both aggressive and sexual prior offenses. With both samples combined. the author found that 65% to 70% of the group had a history of prior sexual offenses, 40% to 55% of prior aggressive behavior and 22% to 25% exhibited a history of prior serious delinquency (contact with law enforcement officials for at least one personal offense or two property offenses). For Sample 2, a referral offenses of rape was associated with a lower incidence of prior sexual offenses, and a subject's history of abusing his siblings was positively associated with the referral offense being against a younger victim, and with this offense involving violence (p<.10). For both groups, a history of aggressive, nonsexual behavior was positively related to commission of a violent sexual offense for which the subject was referred. Between 19% and 32% of all the subjects had themselves been sexually abused, with estimates increasing to between 35% and 56% when physical abuse was included. For between 44% and 64% of the offenders, a family member had previously been either physically or sexually abused. The author examined each of the four indices of seriousness separately with regard to history of abuse. He found that victimization was associated with a greater likelihood of the victim of the referral offense being a relative, and that those who had another sex offender in the family, or who had experienced abuse of a family member, were more likely to have been referred for a violent offense. The more serious forms of referral offense were committed by those with a prior history of being physically and sexually abused, by those whose mother had been sexually abused or by subjects who had experienced abuse of a member of their family. Sample 1 subjects who had been physically abused were significantly more likely to target younger victims, and this trend followed for sexually abused offenders. Although non-significant, the same patterns emerged for the Sample 2 subjects. The author concluded that these juvenile sexual offenses should be considered in the context of severely disturbed and often sexual and violent family relationships.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author concluded that similar levels of aggression were found in both sexual and non-sexual offenses, which suggested that intervention policies should be aimed not only at sexual aggression, but also at general aggression as well. The author also suggested that juvenile sexual offenders with a history of prior abuse, with the victim being either the offender or his family, would be more likely to commit a serious sexual offense and therefore should be closely supervised. The family of the offender should also be involved in therapy and treatment to reduce juvenile sexual offending, by employing a family systems approach and examining the juvenile's behavior in its family context. By changing how aggressive behavior is managed within this context, subsequent reoffending might be prevented.
EVALUATION:
The author presents an interesting examination of the relationship between delinquency and abuse in the juvenile sexual offender. Whilst the sample size is adequate for purposes of reliability of results, the lack of definitions and operationalizations of measurements and the confusing reporting of the methodology precludes any conclusions from being drawn about the internal validity of the study. No report was given about the reliability of the clinicians' evaluations of the subjects, and the findings were discussed in a somewhat unclear fashion. As the results of the study, and therefore the discussion of the implications of the findings, should both be considered with some caution, the study should be considered as a very preliminary piece of research in the examination of the juvenile sexual offender. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Juvenile Delinquency
KW - Juvenile Male
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Male Offender
KW - Male Violence
KW - Early Adolescence
KW - Late Adolescence
KW - Offender Background
KW - Child Abuse Victim
KW - Child Abuse Effects
KW - Child Physical Abuse Effects
KW - Child Physical Abuse Victim
KW - Childhood Victimization
KW - Childhood Experience
KW - Domestic Violence Effects
KW - Domestic Violence Victim
KW - Family Background
KW - Family Environment
KW - Family Relations
KW - Sexual Assault Causes
KW - Sexual Assault Offender
KW - Child Victim
KW - Juvenile Victim
KW - Delinquency Effects |