Do Developmental and Life-Course Theory Risk Factors Equally Predict Age of Onset Among Juvenile Sexual and Nonsexual Offenders?

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Rosa ◽  
Bryanna Fox ◽  
Wesley G. Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Juvenile Sex Offenders ◽  
Criminological Theory ◽  
Sex Offending ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Nonsexual Offenders

Previous empirical inquiries into the etiology of juvenile sex offending have been largely atheoretical. Consequently, a call for studies conducted utilizing developmental and life-course (DLC) criminological theory has been made to better understand the onset, development, risk, and protective factors of juvenile sex offending. Therefore, this study contributes to the discussion by testing key predictions proposed by the DLC framework regarding the theoretical correlates of early onset offending, as applied to juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) and juvenile nonsex offenders (JNSOs). Drawing on a data set of more than 64,000 youth referred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, results indicate that although the number and severity of risk factors for early age of onset differ between the JSOs and JNSOs, the specific type of risk factors that emerged align with DLC theory predictions. The implications of these findings and contributions for DLC theory are also discussed.

Juvenile Sex Offenders in Turkey: A Study on Offense Characteristics, Risk Factors, and the Differences between Juvenile Sex Offenders and Other Juvenile Offenders

2020 ◽  
pp. 001112872093066
Author(s):  
Hasan Buker ◽  
Ayhan Erbay
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Juvenile Offenders ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Juvenile Sex Offenders ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Turkish Youth

Based on a data set ( n = 920) derived from court files of adjudicated youth in one of the largest court districts in Turkey, this study represents the first systematic attempt to understand juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) and their offenses in this contemporary urban context. The study results show, first off, that sexual offending among Turkish youth has been increasing at a rate comparable to that of other Western societies. Secondly, the victims of the sex offenses examined in the study were mostly of the opposite sex (female), were typically younger than the offenders, and commonly were acquaintances (friends, family, partners). Thirdly, the results indicated that the JSOs were significantly different from other juvenile offenders, and in terms of most of the risk factors used in juvenile justice assessments they had an advantage over the other juvenile offenders. These results are discussed in light of findings reported in previous studies, along with considerations relating to the public policy implications and the research recommendations arising from the outcomes of this foundational research.

Is This Kid a Likely Experimenter or a Likely Persister? An Analysis of Individual-Level and Family-Level Risk Factors Predicting Multiple Offending Among a Group of Adjudicated Youth

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (13) ◽  
pp. 4024-4045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Buker ◽  
Ayhan Erbay
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Adjudicated Youth ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Family Level

To implement effective diversion programs and determine for a well-suited intervention strategy, ascertaining who, among the adjudicated youth, is more likely to involve in multiple offending, rather than desisting after an initial delinquent behavior, is of great significance. The overall objective of this study, therefore, is to contribute to the existing knowledge on assessing the risks for multiple offending during juvenile adjudication processes. In this regard, this study examined the predicting powers of several individual-level and family-level risk factors on multiple offending during adolescence, based on a data set derived from court-ordered social examination reports (SERs) on 400 adjudicated youth in Turkey. Two binomial regression models were implemented to test the predictor values of various risk factors from these two domains. Results indicated the following as significant predictors of multiple offending among the subjects: younger age of onset in delinquency, dropping out of school, having delinquent/drug abusing (risky) friends, being not able to share problems with the family, increased number of siblings, and having a domestically migrated family. Conclusively, these findings were compared with the existing literature, and the policy implications and recommendations for future research were discussed.

The juvenile sex offender

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catrien Bijleveld ◽  
Chantal van den Berg ◽  
Jan Hendriks
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sex Offender ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Juvenile Sex Offenders ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Assessment Instruments ◽  
Juvenile Sex Offender ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Crucial Information

Juvenile sexual offending is often regarded as a precursor of serious and continued sexual offending in adulthood, but there has been little empirical evidence supporting this assumption. Could juvenile sexual offending be just a ‘passing phase’? The study discussed in this essay follows the criminal career about 1,600 juvenile sex offenders from early adolescence into adulthood. A comprehensive view of the entire criminal career is presented to establish whether juvenile sexual offending is a precursor of continued (sexual) offending in adulthood or if (sexual) offending is non-chronic for most. The sexual recidivists in the sample are identified, and this group is used to establish the risk factors associated with continued sexual offending. These risk factors are compared to the ones used in risk assessment instruments for (juvenile) sex offenders. This study holds crucial information for policy and theory regarding juvenile sex offenders.

scholarly journals Twenty-Five and Up (25Up) Study: A New Wave of the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 154-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany L. Mitchell ◽  
Adrian I. Campos ◽  
Miguel E. Rentería ◽  
Richard Parker ◽  
Lenore Sullivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Longitudinal Twin Study

AbstractThe aim of the 25 and Up (25Up) study was to assess a wide range of psychological and behavioral risk factors behind mental illness in a large cohort of Australian twins and their non-twin siblings. Participants had already been studied longitudinally from the age of 12 and most recently in the 19Up study (mean age = 26.1 years, SD = 4.1, range = 20–39). This subsequent wave follows up these twins several years later in life (mean age = 29.7 years, SD = 2.2, range =  22–44). The resulting data set enables additional detailed investigations of genetic pathways underlying psychiatric illnesses in the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study (BLTS). Data were collected between 2016 and 2018 from 2540 twins and their non-twin siblings (59% female, including 341 monozygotic complete twin-pairs, 415 dizygotic complete pairs and 1028 non-twin siblings and singletons). Participants were from South-East Queensland, Australia, and the sample was of predominantly European ancestry. The 25Up study collected information on 20 different mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, substance use, psychosis, bipolar and attention-deficit hyper-activity disorder, as well as general demographic information such as occupation, education level, number of children, self-perceived IQ and household environment. In this article, we describe the prevalence, comorbidities and age of onset for all 20 examined disorders. The 25Up study also assessed general and physical health, including physical activity, sleep patterns, eating behaviors, baldness, acne, migraines and allergies, as well as psychosocial items such as suicidality, perceived stress, loneliness, aggression, sleep–wake cycle, sexual identity and preferences, technology and internet use, traumatic life events, gambling and cyberbullying. In addition, 25Up assessed female health traits such as morning sickness, breastfeeding and endometriosis. Furthermore, given that the 25Up study is an extension of previous BLTS studies, 86% of participants have already been genotyped. This rich resource will enable the assessment of epidemiological risk factors, as well as the heritability and genetic correlations of mental conditions.

Conclusions and Implications for Developmental and Life-Course Criminology

2018 ◽  
pp. 748-756
Author(s):  
David P. Farrington ◽  
Lila Kazemian ◽  
Alex R. Piquero
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Criminal Career ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Course Criminology

This concluding chapter summarizes current knowledge about developmental and life-course criminology based on the previous chapters, reviews some areas in need of further research, and makes some recommendations about how future research can address these gaps in current knowledge. It shows how a great deal is known about risk factors for offending in general (especially for the prevalence of offending), but less is known about risk factors for specific criminal career features, such as the age of onset, the frequency of offending per year, and so on. The chapter discusses the limitations and challenges to current research and provides some recommendations for research that can expand on the topics already covered in this volume. Finally, this chapter suggests some methods for further research. It also provides some examples of studies undertaken along these lines.

Sex offenders and sex offending in the Cambridge study in delinquent development: prevalence, frequency, specialization, recidivism, and (dis)continuity over the life-course

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 412-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex R. Piquero ◽  
David P. Farrington ◽  
Wesley G. Jennings ◽  
Brie Diamond ◽  
Jessica Craig
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Sex Offending ◽  
The Life Course

Examining the Continuity of Juvenile Sex Offending Into Adulthood and Subsequent Patterns of Sex and General Recidivism

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maude Beaudry-Cyr ◽  
Wesley G. Jennings ◽  
Kristen M. Zgoba ◽  
Richard Tewksbury
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Deviant Behavior ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sex Offending ◽  
Potential Link ◽  
Using Data ◽  
General Recidivism

Current sex offending legislation and public opinion present an image of sexual offenders as specialized predators who are likely to exhibit continued sexually deviant behavior over the life-course. Although sex offending continuity and post-release recidivism has been independently assessed in prior research, the potential link between sex offending continuity and post-release recidivism has yet to be investigated. Using data collected at two different time points from a sample of sex offenders who served a prison sentence for an adult sex offense, the present study examines the prevalence of sex offending continuity, and its potential linkages with subsequent sex and general recidivism as well as identifying risk factors related to these outcomes. The multivariate results indicate a low rate of sex offending continuity in general but suggest the presence of identifiable risk factors that predict sex offending continuity. Specifically, non-sexual juvenile offending is the most notable of the numerous risk factors found to be associated with those displaying sex offending continuity from adolescence into adulthood. Subsequent analyses also reveal a significant association between sex offending continuity and sexual recidivism but not general recidivism. Policy implications, study limitations, and directions for future research are also discussed.

Juvenile Sex Offending Through a Developmental Life Course Criminology Perspective

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Lussier
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
High Rate ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Sex Offending ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

Current American policies and responses to juvenile sex offending have been criticized for being based on myths, misconceptions, and unsubstantiated claims. In spite of the criticism, no organizing framework has been proposed to guide policy development with respect to the prevention of juvenile sex offending. This article proposes a developmental life course (DLC) criminology perspective to investigate the origins, development, and termination of sex offending among youth. It also provides a review of the current state of knowledge regarding various parameters characterizing the development of sex offending (e.g., prevalence, age of onset, frequency, persistence, continuity in adulthood, and versatility). The review highlights some heterogeneity across these developmental parameters suggesting the presence of different sex offending patterns among youth. In fact, it is proposed that, based on the current knowledge, such heterogeneity can be accounted for by a dual taxonomy of adolescents involved in sexual offenses: (a) the adolescent-limited and (b) the high-rate/slow-desister. The DLC criminology approach and the dual taxonomy are proposed as organizing frameworks to conduct prospective longitudinal research to better understand the origins and development of sex offending and to guide policy development and responses to at-risk youth and those who have committed sexual offenses.

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