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Sexual Delinquency in Racine: Does Early Sex Offending Predict Later Sex Offending in Youth and Young Adulthood

NCJ Number
220064
Journal
Criminology & Public Policy Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2007 Pages: 507-534
Author(s)
Franklin E. Zimring; Alex R. Piquero; Wesley G. Jennings
Date Published
August 2007
Length
28 pages
Annotation
Data from three birth cohorts in Racine, WI were examined to determine patterns of juvenile to adult sex offending and the implications of the findings for current sex-offender public policy.
Abstract
The study found that whether a juvenile male in Racine had a police contact because of a sex offense did not predict his sex offending as an adult; 8.5 percent of male juveniles who had police contacts for a sex offense had subsequent police contacts for sex offenses as an adult. The best predictor for a juvenile committing a sex offense as an adult was the frequency of general offending (whether sexual or nonsexual) as a juvenile. These findings suggest that the registration and monitoring of any juvenile who commits a sex offense will miss more than 90 percent of the cohort members who will commit sex crimes as adults and will mistakenly identify many juveniles as at high risk for adult sex offending. Interventions should focus on habitual juvenile offenders, regardless of whether or not they commit sex offenses. Data were obtained from the Racine longitudinal study conducted by Lyle Shannon (1988, 1991), which involved three cohorts of youth born in 1942, 1949, and 1955. A total of just over 6,000 boys and girls composed the 3 cohorts. The Racine researchers did not record the specific charge for sex offenses, but noted whether the offense warranting police contact was a felony or misdemeanor. The current study obtained data on the type and frequency of police contacts as well as the date, location, and contact number. Juvenile and adult police contact information came from the files of the Juvenile Bureau and the Records Division of the Racine Police Department. 4 tables, 10 figures, and 38 references