The Adult Offending Outcomes of Adolescents Who Have Perpetrated a Sex Offense: Is Sexual Offending in Adolescence Indicative of Things to Come?
Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Youth violence and juvenile justice
Abstract
Being adjudicated for a sex offense carries significant social, legal, and penal implications that are
almost unparalleled and adolescents are no exception to this differential treatment by the justice
system. This highlights the relevance of providing criminal career information concerning future
offending among adolescents who have a record for a sex offense as they age and become adults.
Based on prospective longitudinal data collected from a sample of male adolescents enrolled in the
Pathways to Desistance study (n = 1170), negative binomial regression models are conducted to
investigate the relationship between having a juvenile record for a sex offense and the frequency of
general offending in early adulthood (i.e., 18 years old and over). Results show that adolescents
who have perpetrated a sex offense have significantly lower levels of involvement in offending
during early adulthood, whether based on official or self-reported data. Findings are discussed in
terms of policy and theoretical implications.
Description
item.page.type
Article
item.page.format
Keywords
youth offenders, early adulthood outcomes, juvenile sex offending, prospective longitudinal study, adolescents
Citation
Chouinard-Thivierge, S., Lussier, P., & Charette, Y. (2023). The adult offending outcomes of adolescents who have perpetrated a sex offense: is sexual offending in adolescence indicative of things to come?. Youth violence and juvenile justice, 21(1), 3-26.