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Abstract
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Descriptive data on a group of female adolescent sexual offenders seen in an outpatient clinic are presented, with characteristics of offenders, offenses, and victims. Unlike female adult sexual offenders of previous studies, these adolescents committed offenses without coercion from male co-offenders starting at an early age. Results are discussed with reference to gender differences among adolescent sexual offenders.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this research conducted by Fehrenbach and Monastersky was to identify characteristics of female adolescent sexual offenders.
METHODOLOGY:
This research was quasi-experimental in design. The subjects in the sample were 28 adolescent females treated at the Juvenile Sexual Offender Program at the University of Washington between 1978 and 1985. The subjects ranged in age from 10 to 18 (mean=13.6) and were referred to the program from Child Protective Services, Juvenile Court, their parents, defense attorneys and other sources. Data for this research were gathered from a variety of sources including interviews with subjects and their families, police reports, and victim statements. Trained interviewers filled out data sheets for each subject and gathered information about demographic characteristics, the subject's history of abuse, the subject's prior offenses, the sexual offenses committed by the subject, and characteristics of the victim. The researchers categorized the adolescent offenders according to whether they had committed rape (sexual penetration) or indecent liberties (no penetration).
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The researchers found that all of the adolescents in their sample committed their offenses independently and without coercion. It was also found that there was no significant difference in the ages of adolescents referred to the program for rape or indecent liberties. The victims were under 12 years old (except one) with an average age of 5.2 years. A slight majority of the victims were females (57.1%), and all were acquaintances of the offender. Sixty-seven percent of the offenses were committed while the adolescent was babysitting for the victim. Approximately half of both the indecent liberties offenders (46.1%) and the rape offenders (53.3%) had histories of sexual abuse; nearly one-fourth (21.4%) reported being physically abused. The authors noted that females are more likely to be brought to the attention of authorities for offenses such as rape and indecent liberties than they are for indecent exposure or exhibitionism. They concluded that adolescent female sexual offenders are different from adolescent male sexual offenders in several areas: their younger age, their own history of sexual abuse, and the young age of their victims.
AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:
The authors proposed that a longitudinal study of female adolescent sexual offenders should be conducted in order to better understand the link between sexual abuse history and later sexual offenses. They also suggested that such a study might reconcile the differences between their research and other studies of female adolescent sexual offenders. They recommended that future research use control groups of other delinquent and non-delinquent adolescent females as well as more standardized measures.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
Washington
Offender Characteristics
Sexual Assault Offender
Female Offender
Juvenile Violence
Juvenile Offender
Female Violence
Juvenile Female
Early Adolescence
Late Adolescence
Language: en |