Exploring the Effects of Specialized Sexual Behavior Treatment of Recidivism
Abstract
As adult sexual offenders admitted to an increasing number of offenses committed in their youth, the legal system, policy makers, and law enforcement officials began to take juvenile sexual offenses seriously. Due to this, and the belief that juveniles can be rehabilitated, treatment programs for juvenile sexual offenders have increased in number. This paper evaluates the impact of two specific treatment programs in Texas.
This research assesses the impact of two specific treatment programs (specialized and general) operated by the Texas Youth Commission in reducing the likelihood of re-incarceration in juvenile sexual offenders. A sample group of 969 juvenile sexual offenders was obtained from the records of the Texas Youth Commission and reduced to 369 youth that had been released for the same three-year period. Each youth had an identified need for specialized sexual behavior treatment. Quantitative analysis was used to determine the significance of the impact of each treatment program in reducing recidivism (re-incarceration).
The research hypotheses state that specialized sexual behavior treatment programming and general resocialization treatment programming will reduce the likelihood of re-incarceration in juvenile sexual offenders. Results supported both hypotheses. Further research should be conducted assessing the effectiveness of individual treatment components in reducing the likelihood of recidivism.
