Judgments about risk and need factors related to criminal recidivism form the basis for important decisions regarding youths within juvenile justice systems, child psychiatry, and social services. This paper reviews existing empirical and professional research and literature regarding sexual assault recidivism and adolescents, due to the importance of identifying these adolescents and target interventions. Sexual assault recidivism rates for adolescents very considerably in the literature, from 0 percent to more than 30 percent, and it seems that the data are often a function of the length of follow-up period, the measurement of recidivism, the impact of clinical interventions, and the nature of the population evaluated. There is certainly a subgroup of adolescents at risk of reoffending sexually or violently. This is a narrative review concerning risk factors for criminal recidivism and risk assessment procedures among adolescents who offend sexually. Computerized searches of the databases PsychInfo and Medline, up to June 2002, were conducted to locate reports published from 1980 to 2002. Supported, promising, possible, and unlikely risk factors are presented and findings are contrasted against the extensive data available for adults who offend sexually and adolescent criminality in generally. The paper concludes with suggestions of practical strategies for the assessment and communication of recidivism risk. References