Do Developmental/Life-Course (DLC) Risk Factors Equally Predict Sexual and Non-sexual Offending Among At-risk Juveniles?

• In Event: Criminal Career and Life-course Perspectives on Sex Crime

Abstract

Most of the prior criminal career research on juvenile sex offending focuses on risk factors for male juvenile sex offending only, often lacks a comparison group, and much of this research has been conducted outside of the US. Recognizing these gaps in the literature, the current study seeks to advance this body of literature by applying Developmental/Life-Course (DLC) theory to further identify risk factors that are unique to male and female juvenile sex offenders and non-sex offenders. Logistic regression results generated from a large sample of at-risk youth in the US suggest that there are some similarities and differences regarding risk factors from various domains between the juvenile sex offenders and the juvenile non-sex offenders. Interesting gender similarities and differences emerge as well. Study limitations and implications for DLC theory and criminal career research are also discussed.

Authors

• Wesley Jennings, University of South Florida

• Melanie Valentin Rosa, University of South Florida

• Bryanna Hahn Fox, University of South Florida