Juvenile offender recidivism: an examination of risk factors

One hundred and seventy three male juvenile offenders were followed two years postrelease from a residential treatment facility to assess recidivism and factors related to recidivism. The overall recidivism rate was 23.9%. Logistic regression with stepwise and backward variable selection methods was used to examine the relationship between recidivism and nine specific variables: offense type, age at initial involvement in juvenile justice, child welfare system involvement, termination of parental rights, parental criminal history, family support, program completion status, length of treatment stay, and discharge placement. Offender type was the only factor found to have a significant impact on recidivism with general and substance-involved offenders more likely to recidivate than sex offenders. Implications for future research are discussed.     

The current role of post-conviction sex offender polygraph testing in sex offender treatment

Polygraph testing is becoming increasingly important in sex offender treatment. Polygraph advocates cite dramatic increases in historical disclosures that presumably allow more precise targeting of treatment interventions, earlier detection of risky behaviors that often lead to new offenses, and improved treatment and supervision compliance. Based on this, they believe the procedure supports desirable behavior that continues to various degrees after treatment and supervision end. Opponents cite ethical problems related to inaccurate results, unproven accuracy rates, and the risk that examinees may be coerced into making false admissions. To counter these criticisms, proponents have developed standards, best practices, and examiner training and certification programs intended to reduce error rates and address ethical issues. Opponents argue that these measures have not been tested and that empirically established error rates and best practices may not be possible for a variety of reasons. This article reviews the current situation, leaving readers to decide the wisdom and ethics of using polygraph testing in their own practices.     

The sex offender in Minnesota

J. Dudley Chapman, D.O.: The Feminine Mind and Body. Philosophical Library, New York, 1967. 325 pages. Price $6.95.

Eric W. Johnson: Love if Sex In Plain Language. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and New York, 1965. 68 pages. Price $2.95.

Sophia J. Kleegman and Sherwin A. Kaufman: Infertility in Women. F. A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, 1966.

Richard H. Klemer, Ph.D. (ed.): Counseling in Marital and Sexual Problems. A Physician's Handbook. Williams &; Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1965. 309 pages. Price $9.75.

Hans Lehfeldt, M.D. and Henry Guze, Ph.D.: Psychologic Factors in Contraceptive Failure. Fertility and Sterility, 17: 1, January 1966, 110–115.

Alexander Lowen: The Betrayal of the Body. The Macmillan Co., New York, 1967, 307 pages. Price $6.95.

Douglas Murphy, M.D., and Editha F. Torrano, M.D.: Donor Insemination. Fertility and Sterility, 17: 2, March‐April 1966, pp. 273–277.

Sam Blum. What Every Nice Boy Knew About Sex. B. Geis Associates‐Random House, New York, 1967.

Frank H. Netter, M.D.: Endocrine System and Selected Metabolical Diseases. Vol. IV, The Ciba Collection of Medical Illustrations. Guest Editor: Peter H. Forsham, M.D. Ciba Pharmaceutical Company, Summit, N.J., 1965. 287 pages. Price $ 22.00

Hyman Spotnitz and Lucy Freeman: The Wandering Husband. Prentice‐Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1964. 224 pages. Price $4.95.

Russel Trainer: The Lolita Complex. Citadel Press, New York, 1966. 315 pages. Price $6.95.     

The juvenile sexual offender: Challenges to assessment for outpatient intervention

Assessment is the key in the outpatient treatment of the juvenile sexual offender, helping to distinguish cause and determine appropriate interventions. The structured assessment identifies issues regarding sexuality, power, control and the impact of sexual abuse upon the child victim and the juvenile offender. Providing a comprehensive view of the offender's past and present, it helps in the utilization of treatment techniques.     

Correlates of male and female juvenile offender abuse experiences

This paper reports the results of developing and evaluating a classification of 315 arrested youth processed at the Hillsborough County Juvenile Assessment Center from September 1, 1994 to January 31, 1998. Youth were characterized as physically or sexually abused if they reported abuse or if they had been referred to juvenile court for abuse. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that family problems, friends' substance use, and delinquency involvement (marginally significantly related) were associated with both physical abuse and sexual victimization. In addition, physical abuse was associated with psychological problems and sexual victimization with being female, being older, and own substance use. The research implications of these results are discussed.     

Impaired sensory-emotional integration in a violent adolescent sex offender

Social risk factors, executive neuropsychological functioning, and emotional numbing were examined as potential risk factors for violent sexual assaults by an adolescent male. The subject had been exposed to at least four previously identified social risk factors, including neglect, early separation from both parents, sexual abuse, and low socioeconomic status. At the time of assessment, executive neuropsychological functioning was intact. At the time of assessment, executive neuropsychological functioning was intact. While impaired emotional responsiveness was an important factor in the assaults, the construct of emotional numbing is too broad to identify the specific neuropsychological impairment involved in the subject's assault behavior. The authors suggest that failures in sensory-emotional integration contributed to the likelihood of violent behavior. Implications for further research and clinical practice are discussed.     

Incarcerated Dutch juvenile sex offenders compared with non-sex offenders

There is some debate about whether or not sex offenders are similar to non-sex offenders with regard to family background (parental characteristics), personality, and psychopathology. The central aim of this study focused on the comparison of juvenile sex offenders and non-sex offenders. The sample consisted of incarcerated juvenile male sex (n = 30) and non-sex (n = 368) offenders. It appeared that sex offenders resembled non-sex offenders with respect to most of the offender and parental characteristics. Results demonstrated some differences between both groups, while the majority of characteristics were similar. Limitations of the study are discussed, especially the low number of sex offenders, followed by suggestions for further research.     

Working with parents of disturbed adolescents: a multifaceted group approach

Experience with this parents' group model suggests that there are a number of advantages in using a multifaceted approach when working with parents of severely disturbed adolescents. Basic support and reduction of guilt and blaming are derived from the therapeutic aspect of the group process. This is augmented by having the parents in a leadership role, in the manner of a self-help group. Bringing in educational and advocacy elements allows the group to respond directly to the parents' need for detailed, accurate information about the disorders and treatment resources for dealing with them. This approach is not designed to replace family therapy, but to provide resources and support to parents. Future research will be necessary to substantiate the clinical impression that the group is quite helpful to parents and to elucidate all the factors producing success.     

网络与青少年性教育

网络虚拟世界中的各种性信息对青少年产生强大的冲击波,而它的一些非法性、不合理性因素也对现实中的主导性教育产生一定的负面影响.充分认识加强和改进网络环境下的性教育工作的重要意义,研究它的特点和规律,探索进一步加强和改进青少年性教育工作的新途径和新办法,才能使性教育真正具有实效性.     

Serious juvenile offenders who have experienced emerging adulthood: Substance use and recidivism

Using data from the California Youth Authority, this article examines whether or not specific substance use differentially predicts recidivism for individual offense-type among a group of serious juvenile offenders who have experienced emerging adulthood. The results of the logistic regression analysis indicate that users of specific substances have a higher overall likelihood of receipt of a subsequent arrest for different offense-types when compared to other substances. Specifically, among the 524 serious juvenile offenders analyzed, one demographic, one social bond, and two substance use measures were significant indicators of an offender being arrested during the seven-year follow-up period. The social bond measure of full-time employment and substance use measure of using mind-altering drugs were significant indicators of receipt of an arrest for a non-violent offense, while being non-white and reported use of uppers/downers were significant predictors of arrest(s) for violent and both non-violent and violent offenses. Policy implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Working with parents of spinal cord injured adolescents: A family systems perspective

Concepts from family systems theory are used to facilitate understanding of the needs of families coping with the spinal cord injury of an adolescent. Five assumptions derived from systemic principles are discussed as related to assessment and family functioning. Related suggestions are given for assisting parents in dealing with this non-normative stressor and its long-range effects on the adolescent and family.     

The relationship of trauma exposure to sex offending behavior among male juvenile offenders

The most common type of adult and juvenile sex offender treatment utilizes a Relapse Prevention (RP) model. In RP clients learn about their offense cycle with an emphasis on recognizing high-risk situations and negative emotional states that can be precursors or triggers to offending behavior. This study identifies ways that traumatic experiences and trauma-associated feelings can be offense triggers for juvenile sex offenders. Researchers interviewed the treating clinicians of 40 male juvenile sex offenders who received at least six months of RP sex offender treatment. Results showed that 95% of the youths had experienced a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Criterion A traumatic event and that 65% met criteria for PTSD based on clinician judgments. Overall, clinicians identified prior trauma exposure as being related to the offense triggers in 85% of offenders. Specifically, the following trauma-related feelings were identified as offense triggers: intense fear in 37.5% of sex offenders, helplessness in 55%, and horror in 20%. Implications for sex offender treatment programs are discussed.     

Do close parent-child relations reduce the mortality risk of older parents?

This analysis examines the association between affectional solidarity in older parent-child relationships, and the parents' length of survival over a 14-year interval. It is hypothesized that close intergenerational relations have the capacity to reduce pathogenic stress among elderly parents, thereby enhancing their ability to survive. Direct and buffering effects of affectional solidarity, as expressed by 439 elderly parents, are tested using data from the U.S.C. Longitudinal Study of Generations collected between 1971 and 1985. Buffering effects are examined in the context of social decline and social loss experienced by the older parent. Hazard regression models indicate that greater intergenerational affect increases survival time among parents who experienced a loss in their social network, particularly among those who were widowed less than five years. Neither a direct effect of affection nor a buffering effect in the presence of social decline were found. It is concluded that the mortal health risks associated with the stress of being widowed can be partially offset by affectionate relations with adult children.     

Partnering with parents to prevent childhood sexual abuse

Although research demonstrates that child‐focused sexual abuse prevention programmes can teach children personal safety knowledge and skills, childhood sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programmes that involve parents have a number of distinct advantages. The more knowledge parents have about CSA, the greater likelihood they can create safer environments for their children and thus prevent the occurrence of sexual exploitation. Research has demonstrated that parents lack crucial information about CSA and can benefit from even brief educational efforts. This paper will identify potential barriers to participation and offer practical suggestions for enhancing both recruitment and retention rates. Recommendations for parent education programmes are offered, including improving parents' confidence and skills in educating their children about CSA, providing them with parent‐friendly materials to use and developing Internet applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Communicating with parents

It is difficult to help a child whose parents are unavailable to the professional working with the child. Parents whose children have problems tend to be fearful of being judged and criticized. Anger or expressions of guilt may mask their fears about their own inadequacies and problems. All parents need to be listened to and understood before professionals can help the children. Communicating this understanding to the parents requires more than works. Listening, enabling parents to talk and talking with parents often needs to be supplemented by actions concrete services and even by play to enable the parents to trust enough to want to learn how to be better parents. Foster parents must also be drawn into a cooperative effort to help children in their care.This is an excerpt from the bookWork With Children to be published by Human Sciences Press in February 1979. This selection deals with communicating with parents, for until that is accomplished, there is no chance to communicate with children.     

Educational risk,recidivism, and service access among youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems

Dually-involved youth represent a population of youth who receive some level of supervision from both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems concurrently. The current study examined education-related risk factors, recidivism, referrals for services, and service access among dually-involved youth in Los Angeles County. Specifically, whether increased educational risk was associated with referrals to, and access of, educational services and supports and whether higher receipt of educational services reduced recidivism approximately six months post-disposition. Data for this study consisted of a sample of dually-involved youth (N = 131) who were adjudicated delinquent and also had a child welfare case open. An Educational Risk Index (ERI) was developed and included school attendance, credit deficiency, problem school behavior, and current grades. Results indicate that educational risk was negatively associated with mental health services accessed, demonstrating that those with higher educational risk accessed less mental health services. Educational risk, however, was not associated with increased educational service referrals or access, suggesting a possible mismatch in educational need and service referrals. Lastly, there were no significant differences between those that recidivated and those that did not recidivate in service access and educational risk.     

A presumption to disclose: new laws on the provision of information about child sex offenders to parents in England and Wales

In England and Wales, agencies managing child sex offenders in the community have long had the power to disclose information on those offenders to other agencies and sometimes to individual members of the public; this process has variously been referred to as ‘discretionary disclosure’ or ‘controlled disclosure’. In 2008, new laws were passed to strengthen this process and allow designated members of the public to request such information and imposed a new duty on agencies considering disclosure to conduct those considerations with a ‘presumption to disclose’. This article looks at the background to the new laws and how they might work in practice. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Solution-Oriented Approach to Working with Juvenile Offenders

This article describes the ways in which a solution-focused practice approach is advantageous for social workers working in a variety of settings with juvenile offenders, due to its strengths-based and positive orientation. The general approach is discussed as well as specific techniques and examples of applications, such as building a relationship with a juvenile offender who has been mandated into services, finding and amplifying exceptions to the problem and other resources and strengths, and setting goals with the use of scaling questions.