Furthermore, the perpetrator often targets someone they already know and that may really trust them, and this can also account for underreporting (among many other factors). The goal employed by the authors of this paper has been to explore the many diverse populations of sex offenders, including juveniles, males, and females. Furthermore, the authors have looked at a variety of controversial modalities used to help the treatment of sex offenders. Some of these modalities include: Multisystemic Therapy, chemical castration, mindfulness and relaxation techniques, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. .
Juveniles compose a vast population of sexual offenders, attributing to over one-quarter (25.8 percent) of all reported sexual offenses, and more than one-third (35.6 percent) of all reported juvenile sexual offenses (Finkelhor, Ormrod, & Chaffin, 2009). Juvenile sexual offenders have been studied for the past 50 years, as their own separate group. The group is presumed to entail common characteristics, be subjective to predisposing factors, and presumed to warrant different treatment than that of adult sexual offenders (Finkelhor, et al., 2009). Often, family members, treatment personnel, and the justice system, are likely to perceive juvenile sexual offenses as sexual experimentation or curiosity, enabling underreporting of offenses (Kalogerakis, 1992). It seems to be a constant debate distinguishing normal acceptable sexual behaviors and experimentation/exploration, in comparison to victimization (Kalogerakis, 1992). Overall, treatment for juvenile offenders gears towards rehabilitation over punitive methods, as it is presumed to warrant more beneficial outcomes in the overall reduction of recidivism.
Common characteristics have been identified amongst the population of juvenile sexual offenders. Nearly all juvenile sexual offenders are a mix of heterogenous males ages 13-17, most likely to victimize females, unless the victim is a child, in which the proportion of boys is much higher (Hunter, 1999; Kalogerakis, 1992; Finkelhor, 2009).
