Patterns of rearrest for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous youth who have sexually harmed

Abstract

This study examined patterns of rearrest in a sample of Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous youth who have sexually harmed, and the association between these patterns and personal and environmental characteristics present at the first (i.e., onset) sexual offence. Participants included 111 (n = 67 non-Indigenous; n = 44 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) youth who were reviewed at five fixed-time intervals over a 10-year period. Bivariate analyses (i.e., Chi-square and t-tests) and Analysis of Variance indicated that generally, a higher proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander youth were rearrested for violent and non-sexual/non-violent offences. No differences were found for sexual offences. Overall, those who were rearrested for sexual/violent offences scored higher on personal behavioural controls at onset; whereas, non-sexual/non-violent rearrests were associated with environmental vulnerabilities (i.e., adverse social conditions, population stressors). The findings are discussed in regards to the interplay between youth and the broader ecological environment in which onset and persistence of offending occur.