CONSULTING TO RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS FOR SEXUALLY AGGRESSIVE DELINQUENTS

Delinquent adolescent boys, especially those looked after in residenti al settings, often have a long history of coercive antisocial behaviou r. Many have a history of aggression and violence, including serious s exual offences such as rape and indecent assault. In light of the Crim inal Justice Act 1991 the residential care sector will come under more pressure to accommodate sexually aggressive recidivistic delinquents. However, few staff who work in residential settings with delinquents have received training in the management and treatment of sexually agg ressive behaviour. Time spent in residential care settings may therefo re do little to reduce the risk of sexual aggression. This paper propo ses that the assessment and management of risk is central to the effec tive rehabilitation of this group of young people. Based on work carri ed out at Glenthorne Centre a risk assessment strategy is presented co nsisting of several different strands: an analysis of organisational d ecision-making; identification of sources and types of information to inform decisions; the development and implementation of a risk assessm ent protocol; and staff training. A case example is used to illustrate the use of the protocol at Glenthorne.