Evaluation of the Adolescent Sex Offender Programme (A.S.O.P.) : an integrated approach to the treatment of adolescent sex offenders

Abstract

This thesis is a process and limited outcome evaluation of the Adolescent Sex Offender Programme (ASOP) currently run through the Leslie Centre, Auckland. The focus of the evalution was the wilderness component of the ASOP. Adolescents who had completed the programme, their parents and social workers were interviewed providing all the process and some summative data. In general, it was found that the ASOP was a positive experience for the participants. The level of self-esteem of the adolescents, measured by both self-report and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, was high. Victim empathy was apparent in most of the adolescents, and this was attributed to the psychodrama and role reversal techniques employed on the ASOP. On the basis of this evaluation, and the recidivsm rate obtained from the Children and Young Pesons Service, the majority of the adolescents interviewed appear to be at low risk of reoffending. Recommendations were made for the ASOP, among them being, the setting up of support/follow up groups for the adolescents, the need for ongoing family therapy and long-term follow-up.