THE ASSESSMENT OF ADOLESCENT PERPETRATORS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE

Prior to any intervention with juvenile sex offenders it is vital that a comprehensive assessment of the youth and his family be completed. To aid the clinician in conducting such an assessment the literature o n the characteristics of male juvenile sex offenders, female offenders , and parents of young offenders is briefly reviewed. Guidelines for c onducting a comprehensive clinical assessment of a sexually assaultive youth and his parents covering a number of key areas are outlined. Th ese include obtaining reports from outside sources, taking a developme ntal, sexual, family, medical, and psychiatric history, and assessing the family's current attitude towards The sexual offence.. In particul ar, specific questions and areas of inquiry fur completing a comprehen sive sexual development/ sexual offending history are suggested. This article concludes by highlighting the need for future studies to compa re sexually abusive youth to other types of juvenile offenders and the ir non-offending peers, and the need for the development of forensical ly sound assessment instruments for use with this population.