The effect of victim gender on punishment outcomes for youth who have sexually offended

• In Event: Advances in Sexual Offense Policy Research: Juvenile Offending and Male Victimization

Abstract

Punishment for youths who have sexually offended have increased in severity over the last several decades. Prior research and theory suggest that judicial decision-making is a nuanced process that involves the consideration of legally relevant factors (e.g., offense seriousness), as well as legally irrelevant factors (e.g., race, sex) in determining punishment, and these decisions have significant consequences for youth as they move throughout the system. Emerging research suggests that youth who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) or are perceived as LGB, may experience harsher sanctions than youth who identify or are perceived as heterosexual. However, this question has not yet been systematically examined. Using juvenile case processing data from Florida, this study will examine whether youth who sexually offend against victims of the same sex are punished differently than youth who sexually offend against victims of the opposite sex. Implications for theory and future research will be discussed.

Authors

• Ryan Shields, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

• Joshua Cochran, University of Cincinnati