Juvenile Sex Offenders: A Case Study

The last several years’ society has seen an increased in the number of sexual abuse cases committed by a minor. According to a study conducted by Finkelhor et. al. (2009) found that the percentage of sex offenses committed by juveniles is more that 25 % (Finkelhor et.al, 2009, p.59). The author states that although the number is alarming, this percentage is not an accurate representation of the offenses perpetrated by adolescents as many of these offenses often go unreported. Finkelhor highlighted that ninety percent of juvenile sexual offenders were predominantly males with little attachment to family and or friends.
The increase in sex crimes committed by a minor has contributed criminal justice system to find effective ways of dealing with this problem. …show more content…
In his study, Worling suggested that juvenile sex offenders are a heterogeneous population and labeled them into two distinct groups, “child offenders” and “peer offenders”. Worling observed differences with these two groups including psychological deficiencies, social, victim target selection, offense pattern, and abuse history. In his study, Worling argued that “child offenders” tend to internalize their emotions and suffer from a variety of psychological deficiencies such as anxiety and depression. Whereas “peer offenders” externalize their feelings leading for them to become aggressive and prone to violence. Worling also described differences in terms of victim selection; he noticed that “child offenders” are usually acquainted with their victims and use less physical force than their counterparts. In terms of offense patterns, Worling concluded that “peer offenders” tend to commit further delinquent acts, and use weapons and threats to subdue their victims. He observed that “child offenders” tend