Though empathy training is routinely used in treating adolescent sexual offenders, there has been little research to support the link between a lack of empathy and sexual offending. Self-esteem building is not as frequently incorporated into treatment. In an investigation into these two variables, scores offenders (n=84) on a general measure of empathy were no lower than the scores of nonoffenders (n=113), although offenders' self-esteem scores were significantly lower. Correlation and regression analyses of empathy and self-esteem with relevant background variables tended to support these findings and the validity of the measures. Ambiguities in the conceptualization of empathy may retard understanding its usefulness as a treatment and its power as a predictor of sexual offense. Although limitations in study design suggest the need for additional sophisticated research, low self-esteem may be a contributor to adolescent sexual offending and may serve as a target for treatment of those youthful offenders. Tables, references