Distinguishing Antecedent Traits of Juvenile Sex Offenders

While sexually deviant behavior among juveniles is not a new phenomenon there has been a dramatic increase in the concern of this problem over the last two decades. As the number of juvenile sex offenders arrested increases, the recognition of it as a serious issue also increases. The anxiety over juvenile sex crimes has led to a wide variety of research being conducted to determine if there are antecedent traits in offenders. The tremendous data collected and analyzed to try to understand the factors leading a juvenile to sexually violate has piloted a wide range of theories and also much disagreement among professionals about the appropriate consequences a violator must face.

The basic uncertainty of who a juvenile sex offender is can often be difficult to resolve. The fact is that demographically almost anyone has the likelihood to be a youthful offender based on physical traits alone. Currently it is estimated that juveniles account for up to one-fifth of the rapes, and one-half of the cases of child molestation committed in the United States each year (USDJJD, 2000). Reaching a statistical strategy based on demographics is nearly impossible considering that juvenile sexual offending appears to cross racial and cultural boundaries, as well as have no significance in relationship to the religious preference of the perpetrator. It is also notable that you can find juvenile offenders in all socioeconomic class levels. The statistics provided by the United States Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention shows little relativity between such demographic areas and the foreshadowing of who the actual perpetrators are (2000).

The one demographic area that research shows as a contributing factor is that of gender....

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