Juvenile Sex Offenders: What the Public Needs to Know

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Description

Despite the fact that media bombard the public with the notion that sex offenders are everywhere-and could be just next doorofficial sources show that official sex offense rates have been steadily declining over the past 10 years. Yet, when a juvenile is accused of a sexually-based crime, media attention is swift and relentless. The truth about juvenile sex offenders is often, therefore, misunderstood. In many cases, such offenders are victims themselves. Here, Gibson and Vandiver reveal the truth about juvenile sex offenders and what can be done to help them and to prevent the cycle of abuse that leads to such tragic outcomes. This book sets the records straight about juvenile sex offending. It provides accurate, up-to-date statistics, real life cases, and information about offender characteristics, victim characteristics, family factors, social issues, media involvement, and other related areas. It offers explanations for juvenile sex offending from a variety of perspectives and reviews legal and criminal responses to the problem. Included are discussions of female offenders, punitive measures to prevent repeat offenses, and other steps the federal government and individual states are taking to address the problem. The authors conclude with advice on how to protect children from becoming victims and how to prevent sexual offending in the first place.

Reviews

In this substantial contribution to the sexual offender literature, criminal justice professors Gibson (Prairie View A&M Univ.) and Vandiver (Texas State Univ., San Marcus) provide a comprehensive review of the literature on juvenile sex offenders and attempt to separate fact from fiction/mythThe book is written so that it can be read and understood by lay readers, but it is sufficiently complex and thorough to be of interest to professional or academic readers. Well referenced and adequately indexedRecommended. All academic, professional, and academic libraries that serve those interested in juveniles or sex offenders. * Choice *

Author Bio

Camille Gibson Camille Gibson is a faculty member in the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, where she teaches in the Justice Studies Department. She is the author of Being Real: The Teacher Relationship and African American Male Delinquency and co-author of Contemporary Issues in Juvenile JusticeReader and Workbook (forthcoming). She has written several book chapters and journal articles. Donna M. Vandiver is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Texas State University at San Marcos. She has published several journal articles and book chapters on sexual offenses, female sex offenders, and other related areas.