Responding to youth sexual offending: a field-based practice model that “closes the gap” on sexual recidivism among Indigenous and non-Indigenous males

Abstract

Most studies that have explored the impact of youth sexual offender treatment on recidivism have not assessed whether effectiveness varies for important subgroups. The present study evaluated the impact of treatment provided by the Griffith Youth Forensic Service (GYFS) on 104 adjudicated youth sexual offenders referred between 2006 and 2012. Sexual, violent and “other” offending outcomes were examined, based on Australian Indigenous cultural heritage and whether the youth resided in a remote community, over an average 2.5-year follow-up timeframe. The findings indicated that GYFS treatment was equally effective for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth for preventing sexual recidivism and, for youth residing in remote and non-remote locations, for preventing sexual, violent and “other” recidivism. Treatment was less effective in preventing violent and “other” recidivism for Indigenous youth. The core components of the GYFS treatment programme therefore appear particularly well suited for reducing sexual recidivism by Indigenous offenders and those residing in remote communities.     

Online Sexual Grooming in Sweden—Online and Offline Sex Offences against Children as Described in Swedish Police Data

The expansion in Internet use since the mid‐1990s has created a completely new and largely unmonitored forum for contacts between adults and children. The anonymity provided by Internet communications has been viewed as creating favourable conditions for adults wishing to develop manipulative relationships with children, and there has been a growing concern about the way the Internet may be used by adults intent on sexually exploiting and abusing young people. Much of the focus of this concern has been directed at adults using the Internet to create opportunities for the commission of offline sex offences. Based on police data from Sweden, this article describes the range of Internet‐related sexual offences against children currently being brought to the attention of the Swedish justice system. It focuses not only on the range of strategies employed by adults to persuade children to meet them offline for the purposes of sexual exploitation and abuse but also on the different types of online sexual offences that children in Sweden are currently being subjected to.     

Underreporting of Bestiality Among Juvenile Sex Offenders: Polygraph Versus Self‐Report

Juvenile sex offenders (JSO) are a specific subset of delinquent adolescents that are receiving more attention because of the crimes they commit and the issues surrounding how to successfully treat their deviant behaviors. Given JSO are such predominant treatment concerns in society, it is essential to identify and target key risk factors. One sexual behavior, bestiality, may be of particular importance to address in treatment. In a meta‐analysis conducted by Seto and Lalumiere, a 14% rate of bestiality among JSO was reported. This current study examined the differences in JSO (n = 32) who admitted bestiality based upon a self‐report measure, the Multiphasic Sexual Inventory‐II (MSI‐II), compared to information elicited by polygraphs. The results indicated extensive underreporting of bestiality behaviors between these two sources of information (MSI‐II = 37.5%; polygraph = 81.25%). These findings are important given the reliance treatment programs place on information elicited from self‐report tools.     

Child sex tourism: extending the borders of sexual offender legislation

Child sex tourism, the act of traveling to engage in sexual acts with minors, plagues developing nations worldwide. Several laws have been passed internationally in recent years designed to curtail this practice. Government entities and human rights organizations have driven these efforts. United States citizens represent a significant proportion of participants in child sex tourism. The PROTECT Act of 2003 prohibits United States citizens from participating in sexual acts with minors while traveling, and establishes extraterritorial jurisdiction. The case of Michael Lewis Clark, the first United States citizen convicted under this legislation, is highlighted. Child sex tourism poses unique issues to courts that will require ongoing clarification as challenges arise. This article discusses potential future challenges, describes strategies to address this problem, and relates this issue to psychiatry. Mental health providers may have the role of evaluating both the victims and perpetrators of child sex tourism. The authors propose a classification system for offenses and an initial list of topics to discuss with victims. The authors also describe the proper mechanism for reporting United States citizens suspected of participating in child sex tourism.     

"Dangerous" Sexual Consciousness: A Reflection on the Sex Education for Disabled Institutionalized Children in China

This ethnographic study investigates how childcare workers view and react to behaviors of disabled institutionalized children which they consider sexual in a Chinese orphanage. Presuming them primarily as “asexual” or “sexually immature” subjects based on a biomedical understanding of disability and childhood, the childcare workers are anxious to find signs of sexual consciousness in some of these children. Labelled as either “dangerous” or “abnormal”, the sexually conscious candidates are subject to physical punishment and denied access to sex information. In spite of this, they continue to have sexual feelings and engage in sexual behaviors, and some may even develop specific strategies to fulfill their own needs. The interactions between childcare workers and disabled children exemplify the tensions between a disapproving environment for sexual and the sexual agency of disabled people in China. The findings may have wide policy implications for the state, as well as organizations of children’s rights and disability rights, to promote ideas and measures that enable disabled institutionalized children to develop into sexually expressive and fulfilled persons.     

Background levels of body fluids and DNA on the shaft of the penis and associated underpants in the absence of sexual activity

This study examines the background of blood, saliva, semen and autosomal DNA on penile swabs and underpants from males in the absence of recent sexual activity. Based on the data collected by the AFSP Body Fluid Forum, the results of this study show that; there is a very low expectation of detecting blood on penile swabs and male underpants; a low expectation of detecting saliva on penile swabs and male underpants; and spermatozoa would be expected in less than a quarter of penile swabs and three quarters of male underpants. As none of the samples had detectable levels of DNA which were suitable for meaningful comparison that did not match the donor or their partner, the expectation of detecting a DNA profile from the cellular background on penile swabs or underpants from a male who has not been involved in recent sexual intercourse is very low. The results of this study are extremely informative when evaluating the significance of blood, saliva, semen and DNA detected on the penile swabs and underpants of males in cases of alleged sexual assault.