Concepts and Techniques in Working with Juvenile Sex Offenders

Abstract This article deals with alternative techniques in working with juvenile sex offenders in a group modality. Our data is based primarily on work in the Saint Anne Institute Juvenile Sex Offender Project (JSOP), which currently provides three ongoing groups serving clients in the cognitive developmental age range of ten to nineteen. Each candidate for group is selected following a detailed assessment procedure in which psychosocial development, family processes, and past involvement with legal systems are examined. Each potential group member is interviewed to assess his/her level of admittance to the crime, ability to portray empathy for the victim, ability to identify a problem related to the sexual abuse, and ability to develop a plan to prevent further abuse. These criteria not only allow the individual into JSOP, but are also utilized throughout treatment to assess progress in the program. A major focus of this article is the theoretical framework noted to be effective in working with juvenile ...