More than a third of sex crimes against juveniles are committed by juveniles, says research for the Justice Department reported by USA Today. Juveniles are 36 percent of all sex offenders who victimize children. Seven out of eight are at least 12 years old, and 93 percent are boys, says the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.
"They are different from adult sex offenders," says study co-author David Finkelhor. They are more likely than adults to commit sex offenses in groups, and their victims are younger and more likely to be male. Finkelhor says 10 percent of juvenile offenders have signs of "sexual preoccupation," an indicator of a pedophile. Teen offenses include date rape. In the case of offenders 12 or 13, it is often sexual experimentation with younger kids.
