Most juvenile sex offenders are placed in juvenile detention centers, where their emotional needs are unmet. Adolescent sex offenders come from many backgrounds, but they have several documented psychological characteristics. They need to feel powerful and masturbate frequently while fantasizing before they act out their fantasies. A study of adult child molesters revealed that 85 percent were molested as children and that 70 percent began molesting other children when they were children. Sex for sex offenders is about aggression, physical force, control, and anger rather than sexual stimulation. Treatment should begin with setting boundaries, says Andrew Creamer, Ph.D., consultant to Laurel Oaks Hospital in Orlando, Fla. Participants in STOP are placed in secured areas until they earn the privilege of living in monitored cabins, take part in wilderness and academic programs, and learn to control their anger. Treatment must enable offenders to learn alternative ways to deal with their boredom or anger. It must also involve parents and the judiciary system so that the child returns for followup care and so that family dynamics no longer continue to support abuse. Photographs