OFFICIALS SAY RESOURCES LIMITED TO DEAL WITH YOUTH SEX OFFENDERS

Youth sex crimes around Cape Girardeau County this year have nearly equaled the total for all of 2000, and juvenile authorities are straining to meet the need.

Seven cases in 2001 involving juvenile sex offenders may not seem high, said Randy Rhodes, chief juvenile officer for Bollinger, Perry and Cape Girardeau counties. But handling only eight last year was simpler.

"The resource allocation is high for these cases," Rhodes said. "We have lots of court staff time and court prep, and this is the most expensive treatment cost."

The cases have ranged from sexual misconduct to first-degree sexual assault, which is punishable by up to five years in prison for adults. Rhodes is planning to hire someone to run a group counseling program for youth sex offenders soon, but he said resources are still limited.

"This is a special area of counseling," Rhodes said. "Local people don't feel qualified."

Area juveniles who commit sex crimes against their peers see a forensic psychologist in St. Louis who judges what danger the child presents to the community and what actions can be taken to make sure offenses aren't repeated, he said.

Counseling is also performed by the Missouri Division of Youth Services.

Little information is available on juveniles who commit sex crimes against their peers, said Dr. Kurt Bumby of the Division of Youth Services.

"Really, there is no profile of what a juvenile sex offender is," said Bumby, assistant deputy director in Jefferson City.

How a report is handled depends on several factors, Bumby said, including differences in age, size and strength between individuals involved. Whether the act occurred in public or included bribery or trickery also makes a difference.

Treatment of juvenile sex offenders starts with discussion of victim empathy issues, Bumby said.

"This is the key," he said. "Because it's not a disease that can be cured. It's about behavior management."

Counseling addresses anger management, effectiveness in social situations and wrong thinking.

"They usually know what they're doing is wrong, but they go through some sort of ritual to make it right for them," Bumby said. "We teach them to recognize behaviors that lead them to repeat bad actions in order to prevent them from happening again."

Cape Girardeau school resource officer Chris Muench has worked on two cases involving young sex offenders this year. One had a 14-year-old boy having sex with two girls a year younger. Another case with two junior high school students is still under investigation.

Such cases are generally reported by relatives, which was true with the 14-year-old who had consensual sex with the girls, Muench said.

Tense terminology

When reports are made about a 14-year-old being charged with statutory rape, Muench said the terminology creates tension.

"Statutory rape is a shocking word that throws people," he said. "They associate it with forcible rape."

Statutory rape is defined as any person having sex with someone under 14. Forcible rape is sex by compulsion, and punishment can be life imprisonment.

Finding the truth in an alleged sex crime among children is not easy, Muench said. Stories about events can change, so police include counselors from Division of Youth Services and other organizations to interpret information correctly.

Many make a mistaken assumption that children who are victimized sexually by adults end up repeating the actions on others as children or later as adults, Bumby said.

"The numbers vary too much to assume that a victim will be a sex offender," he said.

When it does occur, Bumby said some patterns have been identified: abuse at an early age; abuse on multiple occasions; abuse for an extended time; the child felt at fault for the abuse.

Muench has seen sexual abuse by adults as a factor influencing elementary school-age sex offenders.

Confused perceptions from films or television can give children odd ideas, he said. Muench worked with a 10-year-old boy this year who had told other students he wanted to grow up to be a child molester.

"He was disciplined by the school, and a counselor spoke with him and I spoke with him," Muench said. "At the elementary school level, it's more talking than taking reports."