31.2 Assessment, Examination, and Psychological Testing
1107
Table 31.1-13
Juvenile Sex Offender Subtypes
Juvenile Offenders Who Sexually Offend against Peers or Adults
Predominantly assault females and strangers or casual
acquaintances
Sexual assaults occur in association with other types of criminal
activity (e.g., burglary).
Have histories of nonsexual criminal offenses, and appear more
generally delinquent and conduct disordered
Commit their offenses in public areas
Display higher levels of aggression and violence in the
commission of their sexual crimes
More likely to use weapons and to cause injuries to their
victims
Juvenile Offenders Who Sexually Offend against Children
Most victims are male and are related to them, either siblings or
other relatives.
Almost half of the offenders have had at least one male victim.
The sexual crimes tend to reflect a greater reliance on
opportunity and guile than injurious force. This appears to
be particularly true when their victim is related to them.
These youths may “trick” the child into complying with the
molestation, use bribes, or threaten the child with loss of the
relationship.
Within the overall population of juveniles who sexually
assault children are certain youths who display high levels
of aggression and violence. Generally, these are youths who
display more severe levels of personality and/or psychosexual
disturbances, such as psychopathy, sexual sadism, and so on.
Suffer from deficits in self-esteem and social competency
Many show evidence of depression.
Characteristics Common to Both Groups
High rates of learning disabilities and academic dysfunction
(30 to 60 percent)
The presence of other behavioral health problems, including
substance abuse, and disorders of conduct (up to 80 percent
have some diagnosable psychiatric disorder)
Observed difficulties with impulse control and judgment
abused as children. Most teenagers ran away from home and
were taken in by pimps and substance abusers; the adoles-
cents themselves then became substance abusers. Twenty-
seven percent of teenage prostitution occurs in large cities,
and incidents usually take place at an outside location, such as
highways, roads, alleys, fields, woods, or parking lots. Teen-
age prostitutes are at high risk for acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS), and many (up to 70 percent in some stud-
ies) are infected with HIV.
As many as 17,500 individuals are smuggled into the
United States each year as “sex slaves.” They are brought
under the pretenses of a better life and job opportunities, but
once they are in the United States, they are forced into prosti-
tution, making little money while traffickers make thousands
of dollars from their services. Many times they are raped and
abused.
Tattoos and Body Piercing.
Body piercing and tat-
toos have become more prevalent among adolescents since
the 1980s. In the general population, approximately 10 to
13 percent of adolescents have tattoos. Of the more than 500
adolescents surveyed in a study, 13.2 percent report at least
one tattoo, and 26.9 percent report at least one body piercing,
other than in their ear lobe, at some point in their lives. Both
tattoos and body piercing are more common in girls than in
boys. Adolescents who endorsed possession of at least one
tattoo or body piercing are more likely to endorse use of gate-
way drugs (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana), as well as experi-
ence with hard drugs (cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and
ecstasy).
R
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31.2 Assessment,
Examination, and
Psychological Testing
A comprehensive evaluation of a child is composed of interviews
with the parents, the child, and other family members; gathering
information regarding the child’s current school functioning;
