A/Prof. Jesse Cale1, Dr Tyson Whitten, Dr Francisco Perales, Dr Dustin O’Shannessy1, A/Prof Karen Holt, Ms Tracy Meehan1, Ms Jodie Barton1, Dr Emily Maple1, Ms Shannon Conley1, Mr Joshua Teoh1, Ms Charlie-Jean Seeto1, Prof Benoit Leclerc1, Dr Danielle Shumack1
1Griffith Youth Forensic Service, Australia
Biography:
Jesse Cale is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University and Deputy Director (Research) at the Griffith Youth Forensic Service. He holds a PhD in Criminology from Simon Fraser University in Canada and previously held appointments at UNSW Sydney. His research applies developmental and life-course criminology frameworks to sexual offending, with particular attention to how early adversity and victimisation shape later harmful sexual behaviour. He co-authored Understanding Sexual Offending: An Evidence-Based Response to Myths and Misconceptions, and has led quasi-experimental evaluations of therapeutic programs for justice-involved young people.
Abstract:
Adolescents who engage in harmful sexual behaviours represent a heterogeneous population with diverse clinical and criminogenic needs. This study used latent profile analysis of Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) personality scales to identify subgroups among 162 male adolescents referred for treatment for sexual offending in Queensland, Australia. Four distinct personality profiles were identified. Profiles differed significantly in overall offending volume and duration in adolescence, custodial exposure, and patterns of violent and non-violent offending, though differences in specific sexual offence characteristics were limited. These findings are discussed in terms of the utility of personality-based typologies for informing risk assessment and responsivity focused intervention planning for youth with harmful sexual behaviours.