A Ten-Year Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Rapists upon Return to the Community

This is a 10-year longitudinal analysis examining the recidivism of adolescent perpetrators of rape upon return to the community. All subjects were adolescent rapists who had completed a sex offender treatment program. The 10-year follow-up found that the majority were involved in other crimes but did not perpetrate another sexual assault. The pattern of sexual assault was similar in the years 6 to 10 as compared with the years 1 to 5. This suggests that adolescent rapists continue to commit offenses at a similar level of risk after conviction for an initial sexual assault for 6 to 10 years after release. There appears to be no decrease in the risk of sexual recidivism even up to 10 years after release. Although it may be premature to suggest that these findings are comparable to trends found in the adult populations, there is no evidence to suggest they are inconsistent.