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I have found several statistics regarding child offenders. I will try to apply several approaches to the cause of the offenses, however none of these theories are mutually exclusive. If I have learned anything this semester about criminology, it is that no one single theory is correct about any given circumstance. .
IIn one report; 1 while the behavior is sexual in expression, adolescent sexual offending may have more in common with other coercive behavior such as bullying than with the satisfaction of sexual needs or curiosity. 2 Between 1980-1995 the arrests of children under the age of 12 years old have increased 125% for sex offenses (excluding rape) and 190% for forcible rape. In 1992, the State of Washington's Department of Social and Health Services published a report identifying 691 sexually aggressive youths in state custody, 33% of whom were under the age of 12. IIAnd another reports; Juvenile perpetrated sexual aggression has been a problem of growing concern in American society over the past decade. Currently it is estimated that juveniles account for up to one-fifth of the rapes, 3and one-half of the cases of child molestation 4committed in the United States each year. The majority of cases of juvenile sexual aggression appear to involve adolescent male perpetrators; however, a number of clinical studies have pointed to the presence of females and prepubescent youths who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviors. ~ .
Looking at social process theories one might conceive that youths who perpetrate these crimes against other children are lacking elements of social bonds; Commitment (family, success, future goals), Belief (honesty, morality, fairness, responsibility), Attachment (family, friends, community), and Involvement (school activities, sports, community organizations religious groups, social clubs).