Knowledge Bank

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Justice (2007), adolescents (all genders) perpetrate about 22% of all sex offenses and 15% of all rapes. The importance of rehabilitation in these formative years is significant, especially considering that about half of adults who committed sex offenses have disclosed that their first offenses were committed during adolescence (Fritz, 2003). The purpose of this research was to ask, "Which variables can best predict successful completion of a residential treatment program for juvenile males who have committed sex offenses?" The data used in this study were collected at Hittle House, a residential treatment facility in Columbus specializing in programming for adolescent males who have been identified as being "sexually reactive". Included was information from record review for all 94 discharged cases for the categorical variables of victim type (sibling, friend, or stranger), adoption/foster care history (yes or no), and levels of parental/guardian involvement (low, moderate, high), as well as the continuous variable of Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol (J-SOAP) scores. Logistic regression analysis for the J-SOAP scores predicted successful program completion versus other outcomes 67% of the time, where lower problem scores were associated with successful completion (p<.001). Chi-square analysis was significant for successful outcome by parent involvement (p<.05), but not by victim type or adoption history; parent involvement was not significantly related to victim type, but was related to adoption/foster care history (p<.05). Analysis of variance showed parental involvement was lowest when J-SOAP problem scores were high (p<.05) and J-SOAP scores were unrelated to victim type. With these results, this study offers insight for clinicians at Hittle House and other similar programs, as well as a starting point for further and deeper analyses.