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This study assessed the reliability and validity of a visual reaction time (VRT) measure of sexual interest (G. G. Abel, J. Huffman, B. Warberg, & C. L. Holland, 1998) and the penile plethysmograph (PPG) with audio stimuli. A sample of 57 sex offenders incarcerated at a high-security military prison completed physiological and self- report measures of sexual interest, including the VRT and the PPG. Results indicated adequate internal consistency for both measures. Convergent validity and an assessment of clinical usefulness for both measures indicated that (a) both measures accurately identified offenders against young boys; (b) the VRT, but not the PPG, significantly identified offenders against adolescent girls; (c) neither measure reached statistical significance in identifying offenders against adult women; and (d) the VRT did not reach statistical significance in identifying offenders against young girls and the PPG did reach statistical significance but in the opposite direction as was expected (i.e., men with female child victims had significantly lower arousal to female child stimuli than did men in other victim choice categories).

Hecker raises a number of important considerations in interpreting the review of literature and empirical research presented in Fanniff and Letourneau's article "Another Piece of the Puzzle: Psychometric Properties of the J-SOAP-II." Despite these considerations and the publication of new research in the interim, the current authors continue to urge caution in the interpretation of Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-II (J-SOAP-II) scores in disposition evaluations, largely due to the serious consequences that youth face in this context.

The authors reviewed nine studies examining psychometric properties of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol–II (J-SOAP-II) and examined the psychometric properties of the J-SOAP-II when items were scored based on probation records obtained at or near disposition and prior to treatment. Data from 73 boys ages 12 to 17 who participated in a larger randomized clinical trial informed this study. Reliability (internal consistency and interrater agreement) and validity (concurrent, discriminant, and predictive) were examined. Scale 1, Sexual Drive/Preoccupation, was characterized by adequate reliability and concurrent validity but did not predict scores on a measure of concerning sexual behavior. This is consistent with seven studies that failed to find evidence of predictive validity using measures of sexual recidivism. Also consistent with the literature, Scale 2, Impulsive/Antisocial Behavior, performed well with respect to nearly all psychometric properties including predictive validity. Review of remaining scales and scores and clinical policy implications are discussed.

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effects of South Carolina's comprehensive registration policy on recidivism of juveniles who sexually offend. Registered and nonregistered male youth are matched on year of index offense, age at index offense, race, prior person offenses, prior nonperson offenses, and type of index sexual offense, for a total of 111 matched pairs. Recidivism is assessed across a mean 4.3-year follow-up ( SD = 2.5). The sexual offense reconviction rate is too low (2 events) to support between-group analyses. Cox regression results indicate no significant between-group differences with respect to new nonsexual person offense convictions but significant between-group differences with respect to new nonperson offense convictions. Specifically, registered youth are more likely than nonregistered youth to have new nonperson offense convictions across follow-up. Public policy implications of these findings are discussed.

The past two decades have seen a movement toward harsher legal sanctions and lengthy, restrictive treatment programs for sex offenders. This has not only been the case for adults, but also for juveniles who commit sex offenses. The increased length and severity of legal and clinical interventions for juvenile sex offenders appear to have resulted from three false assumptions: (1) there is an epidemic of juvenile offending, including juvenile sex offending; (2) juvenile sex offenders have more in common with adult sex offenders than with other juvenile delinquents; and (3) in the absence of sex offender-specific treatment, juvenile sex offenders are at exceptionally high risk of reoffending. The available data do not support any of the above assumptions; however, these assumptions continue to influence the treatment and legal interventions applied to juvenile sex offenders and contributed to the application of adult interventions to juvenile sex offending. In so doing, these legal and clinical interventions fail to consider the unique developmental factors that characterize adolescence, and thus may be ineffective or worse. Fortunately, a paradigm shift that acknowledges these developmental factors appears to be emerging in clinical areas of intervention, although this trend does not appear as prevalent in legal sanctions.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programs often include a focus on increased reporting of suspected abuse, in addition to other prevention components such as helping trainees recognize suspected abusive situations. This study aimed to determine whether the Stewards of Children prevention program is associated with increased CSA reporting. Analyses examined whether rates of CSA allegations increased over time in three counties in South Carolina (SC) targeted with program dissemination efforts and whether CSA reporting trends differed between the three targeted counties and three comparison counties that did not experience substantial program dissemination. CSA allegation data were obtained by county and year for predissemination and postdissemination periods from the SC Department of Social Services. Results indicated that, for the targeted counties but not the nontargeted counties, estimated allegation rates increased significantly over time, corresponding with the onset of significant program dissemination efforts. Results also indicated significant between-groups differences in allegation trends for targeted versus nontargeted counties. These findings suggest that the Stewards prevention intervention may be associated with increased CSA allegations. However, results require replication with randomization of counties. Moreover, whether increased reporting is associated with decreased CSA incidence remains unknown.

States, municipalities, and parole departments have adopted policies banning known sex offenders from Halloween activities, based on the worry that there is unusual risk on these days. The existence of this risk has not been empirically established. National Incident-Base Reporting System crime report data from 1997 through 2005 were used to examine daily population adjusted rates from 67,045 nonfamilial sex crimes against children aged 12 years and less. Halloween rates were compared with expectations based on time, seasonality, and weekday periodicity. Rates did not differ from expectation, no increased rate on or just before Halloween was found, and Halloween incidents did not evidence unusual case characteristics. Findings were invariant across years, both prior to and after these policies became popular. These findings raise questions about the wisdom of diverting law enforcement resources to attend to a problem that does not appear to exist.

Theories of Sexual Offenders. Theories That Explain Sexual Aggression Against Women / Jonathan James, Jean Proulx -- Theories That Explain the Sexual Abuse of Children / Beth Dangerfield, Gaye Ildeniz, Caoilte ©ØO Ciardha -- A Developmental Life-Course View of Sexual Offending / Patrick Lussier, Evan McCuish -- What Works to Prevent Sexual Violence from a Global Health Perspective / Greta Massetti, Laura Chiang, Beverly Fortson -- Assessment of Sexual Offenders. Risk Assessment in Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses / Martin Rettenberger, Leam A Craig -- The Psychometric Assessment of Sexual Aggressors / Helen Wakeling -- Indirect and Physiological Approaches to Assessing Deviant Sexual Interests / Kevin L Nunes, Chloe I Pedneault -- Assessing Sadism in Sexual Offenders / Tamsin Higgs, Alex Lord, Ewa B Stefanska, Derek Perkins -- Neurobiological Considerations on the Etiological Approach to Sexual Offender Assessment / Leam A Craig, Martin Rettenberger, Anthony R Beech -- Management of Sexual Offenders. The Utility of Treatment for Sexual Offenders / Liam E Marshall -- Contemporary Programs Designed for the Tertiary Prevention of Recidivism by People Convicted of a Sexual Offense / Laura Ramsay, Adam J Carter, Jamie S Walton -- Ensuring Responsive Treatment Options for Male Adults Who Have Sexually Offended / Robin J Wilson, Yolanda Fernandez, David S Prescott -- Pharmacological Treatment of Sexual Offenders / Rajan Darjee, Alex Quinn -- Community Dynamic Risk Management of Persons Who Have Sexually Offended / Robin J Wilson, Jeffrey C Sandler, Kieran McCartan -- Special Populations. Evidence-Based Assessment and Treatment Approaches for Adolescents Who Have Engaged in Sexually Abusive Behavior / Alex R Dopp, Cameron M Perrine, Kathryn E Parisi, Morgan A Hill, Michael F Caldwell -- Female Sexual Offenders / Franca Cortoni, Georgi Stefanov -- Sexual Murderers / Jean Proulx, Jonathan James, Tamsin Higgs -- Online Sexual Offenders / Sarah Paquette, Francis Fortin, Derek Perkins -- An Evidence-Based Model of Treatment for People with Cognitive Disability Who Have Committed Sexually Abusive Behavior / Matthew C Frize, Jessica Griffith, Robert Durham, Catherine Ranson -- The Role of Major Mental Illness in Problematic Sexual Behavior / Heather M Moulden, Jeffrey Abracen, Jan Looman, Drew A Kingston -- Noncontact Sexual Offenses / Jennifer DeFeo -- Sadistic Sexual Aggressors / Nicholas Longpr©Øe, Jean-Pierre Guay, Raymond A Knight -- Policy and Prevention. Community-Based Approaches to Sex Offender Management / Wayne A Logan -- Problem Sexual Behavior / Rebecca Fix, Maggie Ingram, Elizabeth J Letourneau -- International Approaches to the Management of Perpetrators of Sexual Harm Policy / Kieran McCartan, Katherine Gotch -- Integrating Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Strategies into Youth-Serving Organizations / Keith Kaufman, Miranda Sitney, Judith Zatkin, Erin McConnell, Alyssa Glace -- Youth-Focused Child Sexual Abuse-Perpetration Prevention Strategies / Ryan T Shields, Daniel B Rothman, Elizabeth J Letourneau -- Sexual Violence Prevention with Young Adult Males / Christopher T Allen, Christine A Gidycz