Mental health problems in young male offenders with and without sex offences: a comparison based on the MAYSI-2.

BACKGROUND: There is a need for better knowledge about the relationship between sexual offending by young people and mental health problems. AIM: This study aimed to compare mental health problems between young people who commit sexual offences and those who do not. METHODS: After completion of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2), 334 young people who, according to MAYSI-2 information, had committed a sex offence were compared with 334 young people whose MAYSI-2 data suggested that they had not committed a sex offence. They were matched for age, race/ethnicity, type of facility and adjudication status. We also examined the young sex offenders for within group differences. RESULTS: The young sex offenders were less likely to report anger-irritability or substance misuse than the comparison youths. Within the sex offender group, older juveniles were more likely to report alcohol and drug use problems than younger ones, Caucasians were more likely to report anger and suicidal ideation than their non-Caucasian peers, those detained were more likely to report alcohol and drug use problems and somatic complaints than those on probation, and convicted youths were more likely to report alcohol and drug use problems and anger-irritability than those awaiting trial. CONCLUSIONS: Juvenile sexual offending seems less likely to be committed in the context of an anti-social lifestyle than other offending. Important findings among young sex offenders are their higher levels of mental health problems among those detained and convicted than among those on probation or awaiting trial. Assessment of the mental health of young sex offenders seems to be even more important the further they are into the justice system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Distinguishing juvenile homicide from violent juvenile offending.

Juvenile homicide is a social problem that has remained a central focus within juvenile justice research in recent years. The term juvenile murderer describes a legal category, but it is purported to have significant scientific meaning. Research has attempted to conceptualize adolescent murderers as a clinical category that can be reliably distinguished from their nonhomicidal counterparts. This study examined 33 adolescents adjudicated delinquent or awaiting trial for murder and 38 adolescents who committed violent, nonhomicidal offenses to determine whether the two groups differed significantly on family history, early development, delinquency history, mental health, and weapon possession variables. The nonhomicide group proved more problematic on many of these measures. Two key factors did distinguish the homicide group: These adolescents endorsed the greater availability of guns and substance abuse at the time of their commitment offenses. The significance of this finding is discussed, and the implications for risk management and policy are reviewed.