Background, Offence Characteristics, and Criminal Outcomes of Aboriginal Youth Who Sexually Offend: A Closer Look at Aboriginal Youth Intervention Needs

Abstract

Canada's Aboriginal peoples face a number of social and health issues. Research shows that Aboriginal youths are over-represented in the criminal justice system and youth forensic psychiatric programmes. Within the literature on sex offending youth, there appears to be no published data available to inform clinicians working with adjudicated Aboriginal youth. Therefore, the present study examines the background, offence characteristics, and criminal outcomes of Aboriginal (n = 102) and non-Aboriginal (n = 257) youths who engaged in sexual offending behaviour and were ordered to attend a sexual offender treatment programme in British Columbia between 1985 and 2004. Overall, Aboriginal youths were more likely than non-Aboriginal youths to have background histories of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), substance abuse, childhood victimization, academic difficulties, and instability in the living environment. Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youths had a tendency to target children under 12-years-old, females, and non-strangers. Aboriginal youths were more likely than non-Aboriginal youths to use substances at the time of their sexual index offence. Outcome data revealed that Aboriginal youths were more likely than their non-Aboriginal counterparts to recidivate sexually, violently, and non-violently during the 10-year follow-up period. Furthermore, the time between discharge and commission of all types of re-offences was significantly shorter for Aboriginal youths than for non-Aboriginal youths. Implications of these findings are discussed with regards to the needs of Aboriginal youth and intervention.

Ethnic Diversity and Youth Offending: An Examination of Risk and Protective Factors

“…On average, Aboriginal youth are likely to experience at least three changes in their primary caregivers during childhood. However, there are no findings that suggest that this is a significant detriment to Aboriginal youth (Rojas & Gretton, 2007). While Western culture would state that inconsistent living conditions are a risk factor for youth, Aboriginal culture emphasizes reliance on extended family and community members.…”

“…There is a significant likelihood of Aboriginal youth being subject to high rates of child abuse in their homes and communities, while also growing up with unstable living conditions. Due to the close-knit structure of Aboriginal families and communities (particularly for those who live on reserves), child abuse is a sensitive matter that is often not properly dealt with because of perceived repercussions and negative sentiment from the community (Rojas & Gretton, 2007). High rates of caregiver inconsistency have also been suggested as a risk factor (Rojas & Gretton, 2007;Yessine & Bonta, 2009).…”

“…Due to the close-knit structure of Aboriginal families and communities (particularly for those who live on reserves), child abuse is a sensitive matter that is often not properly dealt with because of perceived repercussions and negative sentiment from the community (Rojas & Gretton, 2007). High rates of caregiver inconsistency have also been suggested as a risk factor (Rojas & Gretton, 2007;Yessine & Bonta, 2009). On average, Aboriginal youth are likely to experience at least three changes in their primary caregivers during childhood.…”

“…As Choi, Harachi, Gillmore, and Catalano (2005) observe: "substance abuse has been found to be associated with violence, delinquency, academic underachievement, and school problems" (p. 506). Research suggests that there is a particularly high rate of substance abuse among Aboriginal youth offenders (Rojas & Gretton, 2007;Yessine & Bonta, 2009) and that offending patterns seem to be affected by increased alcohol or drug use (Bonta, LaPrairie, & Wallace-Capretta, 1997). Furthermore, the presence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in the Aboriginal population is another individual risk factor that is highlighted by Rojas and Gretton (2007).…”

“…Rojas and Gretton (2007) list a number of family and community factors that increase the risk of criminal involvement for Aboriginal youth. There is a significant likelihood of Aboriginal youth being subject to high rates of child abuse in their homes and communities, while also growing up with unstable living conditions.…”