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Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, Vol. 7, No. 4, 227-243 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1524838006292519

Juvenile Sex Offenders Compared to Non-Sex Offenders

A Review of the Literature 1995-2005

Anton van Wijk

Police Academy of the Netherlands

Robert Vermeiren

VU University Medical Center University of Leiden Yale University

Rolf Loeber

University of Pittsburgh Free University

Lisette’t Hart-Kerkhoffs

VU University Medical Center

Theo Doreleijers

VU University Medical Center

Ruud Bullens

Free University

An unresolved but clinically important issue in the literature on juvenile delinquency is to what extent juvenile sex offenders resemble non-sex offenders with respect to individual, familial, and environmental characteristics. The current article reviewed published studies (1995-2005) comparing sex offenders with non-sex offenders. The 17 articles meeting the inclusion criteria suggest that differences exist between sex offenders and non-sex offenders on personality characteristics, behavioral problems, history of sexual abuse, nonsexual offending, and peer functioning. Inconsistent results were found for demographic factors, family functioning and background, antisocial attitudes, and intellectual and neurological functioning. Although it is likely that sex offenders can be differentiated from nonsex offenders on a number of characteristics, caution is warranted because of methodological differences between studies and small samples size. Also, studies show that sex offenders are a heterogeneous group. Further research should take into account this heterogeneity by including sex offenders from clearly circumscribed groups and investigating characteristics specifically related to sexual behavior.

Key Words: comparative study • review • juvenile sex offenders • juvenile non-sex offenders

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