Practice Notes logo

 

Vol. 7, No. 2
May 2002

Working with Juvenile Sex Offenders

If you work in any area of child welfare you will work with children or adolescents who have problems with sexual behavior or sexual aggression.* Why? Because sexual abuse is a significant risk factor for these behaviors, and in child welfare we all work with children who have been sexually abused.

If you have not yet worked with children or teens who sexually offend, you probably have questions about how to recognize and treat them and what we can do to keep other children safe.

By providing answers to these and other questions, this issue of Practice Notes seeks to support you in your efforts to help these children and their families while ensuring the safety of the community.

*Some people hear the term “juvenile sex offender” and think of a youth who has been charged and convicted of a sexual offense. However, in this issue we use the term “juvenile sex offender” to refer not only to these children but to any child who has problems with sexual behavior or sexual aggression, regardless of his or her involvement with the law.

Contents

Understanding Juvenile Sex Offenders

Understanding Your Reaction Is Crucial

Sex Offending Behaviors in Juveniles: What to Look for

Two Subgroups of Juvenile Sex Offenders

Working with Juvenile Sex Offenders: Special Practice Issues

Boundaries and Rules to Consider for Juvenile Sex Offenders

Sex between Siblings

References for this Issue

Click here to read or print the entire issue as a pdf file.

Additional resources on working with juvenile sex offenders:

  • Normal Sexual Development


  • Center for Sex Offender Management <http://www.csom.org>
    Established in June 1997, the Center for Sex Offender Management's (CSOM) goal is to enhance public safety by preventing further victimization through improving the management of adult and juvenile sex offenders who are in the community.


  • Sexual Abuse Prevention and Education Resources International <http://www.saperi.com>
    Robert E. Longo and Deborah P. Longo, Consultation and Training Services


  • The Safer Society Foundation, Inc. <http://www.safersociety.org/>
    The Safer Society Foundation, Inc. provides a variety of services related to the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse, including referrals to programs specializing in the treatment of juvenile sex offenders
    in North Carolina and other states.

  • Treating Sex Offenders. Treating Sex Offenders: A Guide to Clinical Practice with Adults, Clerics, Children, and Adolescents, Second Edition, updates the original volume with new material that emphasizes similarities and differences between adolescent and adult sex offenders in personality type, behavior, and treatment. The second edition also includes additions and changes to treatment techniques, progress reports on case study subjects, reader feedback from the original book, and new information on religious personnel who molest children. The book is available for $49.95 (hard cover) or $34.95 (soft cover) from The Haworth Press, Inc., at www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sku=4882

  • General Resource. Understanding Juvenile Sexual Offenders: Assessment, Treatment, and Rehabilitation, by Phil Rich (2003).

 
Main Page Previous Issue