1. what to make of juvenile sex offenders in the community what to make of juvenile sex offenders in the community Teen Folk Devils

2. DEFINITION Convicted of a sex offense Old enough to be held responsible Not old enough to be held to the fully responsible like an adult Typically 13-17 years old Politically correct term is Sexually Reactive Youth

3. What is your reaction to the word juvenile sex offender?

4. Statistics about Juvenile Sex Offenders JSOs make up 5% of all juvenile violent offenders JSOs are mostly male, 13-17 years old Females account for 8% of JSOs 66% of JSOs have chemical dependency issues, 62% have mental health issues 70% of offenses take place at home, 10% at school About 40% of the time, offenses happen from noon to 6 pm

5. Historical Periods of Sex Offender Monitoring Construction Era (1880-1935): psychological and sociological fields grow, sex offender stereotype arises Sexual Psychopath Era (1930-1955): predator panic, psychiatry influences policy i.e. registration and civil commitment Rehabilitative Era (1950-1980): sex revolution, acceptance of certain lifestyles, distrust of government, institutions, alternate sex offender policies. Containment Era (1980-Present): punitive responses to sexual deviance, revisit old punitive themes and implement new directive ones.

6. Discussion Why do you think some youth commit A sex offense? Why do you think some youth commit A sex offense?

7. Piaget Theory of Moral Development Birth to 12 Around 12

8. Multiple developmental factors for offending Not from sexual deviance Developmental factors Sexual experimentation Thrill seeking Poor social skills Emotional neediness Gender scripts

9. Juvenile sex offender Risk factors by type and duration STABLE DYNAMIC RISK FACTORS Months to years Social influences Intimacy deficits, Poor sexual self-regulation, Tolerant of sexual crimes Lack of co-operation with supervision, Poor general self-regulation. ACUTE DYNAMIC RISK FACTORS Hours, days, and weeks Sexual preoccupations Victim access Hostility Emotional collapse Substance abuse Collapse of social supports rejection of supervision Adapted from Harris, Scott, and Helmuz (2007)

10. Discussion What are the chances that a youth will commit a sex offense again, and why?

11. Empirical Outcomes for sexual recidivism studies among juveniles Findings of 30 studies show sexual recidivism for youth offenders to be between 5% to 15%

12. Faulty assumptions that inform punitive policies Juvenile sex offending is at epidemic levels Juvenile Sex Offenders are more similar towards adult sex offenders than other criminals Juvenile Sex Offenders are at a very high risk of re- offending Letourneau & Miner (2005)

13. The importance of sound practice “a practitioner who claims to not need any statistical or experimental studies but relies solely on clinical experience as adequate justification, by that very claim is shown to be a non-scientifically minded person whose professional judgments are not to be trusted” Grove, W. M., & Meehl, P. E. (1996). Comparative efficiency of informal (subjective, impressionistic)and formal (mechanical, algorithmic) prediction procedures: The clinical statistical controversy.

14. Paradigm for assessing risk of recidivism among juvenile sex offenders Actuarial Assessment Clinical Judgement personal parenting style/untrained floor staff Public Fear, Hysteria, Moral panic

15. medical and legal assumptions of juvenile sex offenders Medical assumptions Behavior will become worse over time Behavior will become compulsive over time Compulsivity must be curbed with long term treatment Offender must relearn behavior under guidance of expert therapist Any indications of the underlying disorder must be pre-emptively treated Legal assumptions Behavior based on choices based on complex circumstances Behavior not due to a singular to a singular condition or disease Sex offending part of normal development and not as deviant as portrayed Reactions based on fear of adult sex offender, juvenile sex offending taken out of context Steen, S. (2001) contested portrayals: Medical and Legal Social Control of Juvenile Sex Offenders

16. Discussion What are the similarities and differences between adolescent and adult sex offenders?

17. Juvenile v. Adult Offenders Youth Offenders are: -still in a developmental stage -do not reoffend into adulthood -more responsive to treatment -have less victims than adults -don’t have deviant sexual arousal/fantasy -most do not meet criteria for predator pedophile

18. REGISTRATION LAWS Labeling detrimental to such youth Inextricably tied to registration, community notification, sentencing, long term outcomes Ties them in with adult offenders Studies find that registration of youth has no effect on recidivism. Isolation, ostracizing, unemployment, limited educational opportunities. Labeling detrimental to such youth Inextricably tied to registration, community notification, sentencing, long term outcomes Ties them in with adult offenders Studies find that registration of youth has no effect on recidivism. Isolation, ostracizing, unemployment, limited educational opportunities.

19. “I was charged at 15. I am now 30. my whole life I’ve been punished for a mistake I made when I was 15. It will never end till I die. So I am ready to die. Besides, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the lord....at least I hope” -Brian Dunker, Illinois “I was charged at 15. I am now 30. my whole life I’ve been punished for a mistake I made when I was 15. It will never end till I die. So I am ready to die. Besides, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the lord....at least I hope” -Brian Dunker, Illinois

20. KEY POINTS Be aware of your own attitudes and biases Scholars believe society is living in a containment era (1980- present) Some practices and policies are based on fears, not data Adolescents different from adults Youth have substantially low recidivism rates Deconstruct juvenile sex offender label Sexually Reactive But Potentially Treatable Youth SRPTY Be aware of your own attitudes and biases Scholars believe society is living in a containment era (1980- present) Some practices and policies are based on fears, not data Adolescents different from adults Youth have substantially low recidivism rates Deconstruct juvenile sex offender label Sexually Reactive But Potentially Treatable Youth SRPTY

21. Time’s Up! Thank You/Gracias About you: –Name: Julian Estrada –Department: Masters Social Work –Contact Information: julian.estrada0@gmail.com –Twitter/URL: n/a –Quick bio: 1 st generation college student, received BA at UW Seattle, UWT 2014 MSW and CWTAP Graduate, hopes to return to UW for doctoral studies!