Children who commit sex offenses: characteristics and intervention

Children Who Commit Sex Offenses

Juvenile sexual offenses have become a major issue in the juvenile justice system given that nearly 30% of all sexual assaults on children are carried out by perpetrators below the age of 18. The increase in juvenile sexual offenses has contributed to the need for professionals to develop effective means to respond to these crimes. Moreover, this recent trend has contributed to numerous studies on juvenile sexual recidivism. According to the findings of studies conducted since the early 1980s shows that a huge portion of sexual offenses against children are carried out by those below 18 years (Wind, 2003, p.76). Further researches demonstrate that nearly 20% of rapes and between 30 and 50% of sexual offenses or abuse is carried out by juveniles, especially males.

Based on these recent statistics, juvenile sex offenders continue to pose a huge problem for the law and society. The significant challenges are attributed to the fact that the actions of these offenders goes beyond the normal bounds of ordinary sexual behavior and challenge the conventional juvenile criminal jurisprudence. Actually, much of the dedication regarding sexual abuse and offenses against children has largely been influenced by the dreadful nature of the sexual abuses themselves. In some cases, juvenile sex offenders have been treated as adults in the criminal justice system because of the severity of their actions or nature of their sex crimes against children.

As juvenile sexual acts are increasingly committed by juvenile sex offenders and have become severe, there have been concerns on whether juvenile sex offenders should be prosecuted for sex crimes against other children. These concerns have emerged as the juvenile justice system has been seeking for suitable ways for dealing with the problem. Prosecutors in these system as well as other professionals have engaged in attempts to develop effective responses to the issue of juvenile sexual offenses. In examining whether juvenile sexual offenders should be prosecuted for sex crimes against another child, it is important to consider the probability of the perpetrator to commit future sexual offenses.

Since prosecuting these offenders seems to be the most suitable option for dealing with juvenile sexual offenders, these criminal should be prosecuted for committing a sex crime against another child. However, the prosecution should be accompanied by subjecting the offenders to juvenile sex offender treatment. The prosecution of these offenses plays a crucial role in providing suitable punishment of the offenders for their actions. In addition, the juvenile sex offender treatment is more effective in dealing with the crimes since it prevents juvenile sexual offenses recidivism. According to the findings of recent studies, sex offender treatment has been effective in dealing with majority of juveniles who carry out sexual offenses. Actually, these studies have shown that only between 9 and 15% of the juvenile sexual offenders subjected to the treatment reoffend (Ratnayake, 2013, p.1). Prosecution and juvenile sex treatment should not be conducted separately but they should complement each other to enhance the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system in addressing the issue of juvenile sexual crimes.