PREVENTION OF JUVENILE SEXUAL ASSAULT

Prevention of Juvenile Sexual Assault

Abstract

This paper provides an insight into one of the major problems facing the American society juvenile sexual assult. This paper also takes into accout the prevailing preventive strategies that are being used to treat the victims of such crimes that fall under the umbrella of juvenile sexual assult. Recent developments have accelerated and intensified that process, as policy-makers at both the state and federal level respond to public fear and anger at what is perceived to be an epidemic of youth violence, including an alarming increase in juvenile homicide. Increasingly, critics of the traditional juvenile justice system argue that young offenders should be subject to the same punishment as adults for the harms they cause. The next step, which many are quite ready to take, is to abolish the separate juvenile justice system.



Table of Contents

Introduction4

Defining Sexual Assault4

Issues Surrounding Assault5

Literature Review7

Method8

Results, Findings and Analysis11

Significant Differences between Treatment Groups11

Sexual Offenses12

Property Offenses12

All Offenses13

Nonsexual Person Offenses13

All Offenses13

Discussion14

Summary15

Conclusion16

References18

Prevention of Juvenile Sexual Assault

Introduction

Juvenile sexual assault is a serious public health problem and risk factor for psychosocial impairment and health-risk behavior. Several studies have examined the epidemiology of sexual assault and assault-related mental health, but limited data address modifiable post-assault variables, such as parental support, receipt of evidence-based services, and whether the child disclosed the assault to a trusted adult, that may inform the development of intervention and secondary prevention protocols.

Although the roles of parental support and evidence-based services in the post-assault recovery of youth have received increased attention in recent years, little is known about youth disclosure of sexual assault in relation to later psychosocial outcomes.

Defining Sexual Assault

One issue that can complicate dealing with sexual assault is the definition of terms. The PREA legislation and subsequent publications by BJS help to provide common definitions for terms that are often applied in sexual assault cases.

PREA provides definitions for terms such as rape, oral sodomy, sexual assault with an object and sexual fondling (Abel, 1985, 127).

Further, BJS has provided definitions for nonconsensual sexual acts, abusive sexual contacts, staff sexual misconduct and sexual harassment. Although jurisdictions are obliged only to follow these definitions when reporting to BJS, it would be prudent for jurisdictional definitions to be aligned with these federal definitions. In addition to the legislation's definitions, state law can provide further definitions that are relevant to particular jurisdictions. It is incumbent upon agency and facility administrators to have a working knowledge of these state definitions. Agency and facility policy may also be a source of relevant definitions of terms related to sexual assault (Abel, 1985, 128).

Issues Surrounding Assault

PREA addresses two types of sexual assault that pertain to juvenile corrections: staff sexual misconduct and youth non-youth sexual assault. Although many national efforts have focused primarily on staff sexual misconduct, there is evidence to show that youth-on-youth assault is a problem worthy of attention (Abel, 1985, 129). Throughout PREA, references to sexual assault refer to both types.

Youth-on-youth assault can sometimes be difficult to quantify, especially in programs that treat ...