Youth Sex Offender Caseloads: Managing Risk and Supervision Level

• In Event: Interpersonal Interactions Within the Juvenile Justice System

Abstract

Increased interest and research have emerged in recent years related to sex offending among juveniles. The resulting body of literature indicates that this group of young people is incredibly heterogeneous and therefore necessitates diverse rehabilitative programming and correctional supervision. Due to public safety concerns and perceptions surrounding such types of behaviours, however, criminal justice policies and practices have been developed that demand intensive supervision reflecting relatively similar case management and supervision approaches for these types of cases. This study draws on a sample of 75 juvenile probationers from British Columbia, Canada to examine the practices of juvenile probation officers assigned to a specialized sex offender caseload. The research relies on descriptive, cluster, and regression analyses to identify subgroups of youth sex offenders, assess whether probation officers’ supervision strategies are informed by standardized risk assessment ratings for these youth cases, and examine whether these ratings and corresponding supervision are indeed reflective of the young peoples’ reoffending patterns. The results are used to inform several important recommendations for the community case management of juvenile sex offenders

Author

• Adrienne Peters, Memorial University of Newfoundland