This study investigated how treatment providers working with juvenile sexual offenders perceive treatment effectiveness of current treatment modalities for juvenile female sexual offenders. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics from 2008, juvenile offenders, particularly juvenile female sexual offenders, are rising in numbers (FBI, 2009). The majority of the research regarding juvenile sexual offenders has focused on adolescent males and little is known about whether treatment for juvenile offenders, generally without differentiation between genders, are working for female sexual offenders. The female juvenile sex offender is under identified, inadequately studied, and underserved. This study aimed at gaining information about treatment providers' perceived effectiveness of common treatment modalities on juvenile female sex offenders.
Sixty-four helping professionals who work with sex offenders in the Midwest region participated in this study. The results indicated that, out of 55 treatment modalities for sex offenders, 23 treatment modalities were in the range of effective to mostly effective; 12 were in the range of somewhat effective to effective; and 12 were in the somewhat effective category; and 8 treatment modalities, all being in the Pharmacological Methods, were in the not effective to somewhat range. For the 35 treatment modalities in the range from somewhat effective to mostly effective, Communication Skills, Assertiveness Training, Psychodrama, Individual Counseling and EMDR were found to be perceived as more effective treatment modalities for juvenile female offenders compared to juvenile male offenders. Anger Management, Social Skills, Fantasy Work, Assault Cycle and Journaling were perceived to be effective for juvenile male offenders. However, 29 out of 55 treatment modalities (52.73%) were found to be perceived as equally effective to either female or male offenders. It is also found that none of the treatment modalities in the category of Cognitive Behavioral or Behavioral were perceived to be more effective for female offenders.
While some treatment modalities were perceived as significantly different in treatment effectiveness when comparing juvenile females with juvenile males, more than half of the 55 treatment modalities were identified as being equal for both genders. The findings of this study might lend insights to helping professionals working with juvenile sex offenders to be mindful of differentiated treatment methods for juvenile female and male offenders. Future research is needed to clarify why some treatment modalities are equally effective for juvenile males and females, and the reasons for some treatment being more effective to either gender.