Ian A Nisbet

A prospective longitudinal study of sexual recidivism among adolescent sex offenders

This paper reports on a follow-up of a sample of 303 adolescent male sex of fenders from New South Wales, Australia. Adult rearrest and reconviction data were obtained for 292 of these individuals. The mean observation period between their adjudication as adolescents and their follow-up as adults was 7.3 years. Seventy-five (25%) received further convictions for sexual offenses prior to their 18th birthday. As adults, 25 (9%) came to the attention of police for further alleged sexual offenses, including 14 (5%) who received convictions for these offenses. Of these, 11 (79%) also received new convictions for nonsexual offenses. Overall, 61.3% of subjects received convictions for nonsexual offenses as adults. Results suggest considerable diversity and persistence in delinquent and criminal behavior, and challenge assumptions about high transition rates from adolescent to adult sexual offending.

Characteristics of adolescent sex offenders in New South Wales

Abstract Characteristics of adolescents who sexually offend, their patterns of their offending behaviour and the defining features of their victims are firmly established in the overseas literature. The research literature in Australia, however, is less developed. This study describes the characteristics of a sample of clients of the Sex Offender Program of the New South Wales Department of Juvenile Justice and examines patterns of offence behaviours and related descriptions of victims. Adolescents who sexually offend in NSW have backgrounds of low educational attainment and abuse and a range of other social risk factors, and they are most likely to victimise female children. A typology of adolescent sex offenders based on their offending behaviour is offered.

Responding to adolescents in Queensland who sexually offend

Abstract As our society becomes increasingly aware of the alarmingly high rates of sexual crimes in the community, it is also “facing up to” the unpleasant truth that adolescents perpetrate a significant proportion of these crimes. During the last 20 years, there has been a trend toward the provision of early intervention programs for adolescents who have committed sexual offences.The most recent of these programs in Australia is the Griffith Adolescent Forensic Assessment and Treatment Centre. The centre is a joint initiative of Grifith University and the Queensland Department of Families. The program is a community safety initiative aimed at reducing the level of sexual assault in the community through effective intervention and supervision ofyoung people who hove committed sexual offences. This article describes the program, the treatment philosophy thot underpins it, and the potential that the program has for research into this disturbing and complex phenomenon.