Nearly 20 years ago, a local judge saw a special need in the community to support youth sex offenders. While these youth offenders aren’t classified as formal sexual offenders, they are sexually maladaptive and show signs of inappropriate sexual behavior.
“These were kids that didn’t need to be placed into the juvenile system but those who were starting to act out inappropriately,” said Kendee Kolp, president and CEO of Reach for Youth Inc. (RFY), a nonprofit organization with a mission to empower Central Indiana youth and their families through prevention, intervention, counseling and youth development initiatives.
Although RFY is widely known for its Teen Court program — a peer-sentencing program for juvenile offenders run by youth ages 10–17 and adult volunteers who serve as defense attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, bailiffs and clerks — its program for youth sex offenders is picking up speed.
The Adolescent Youth Sex Offender Treatment Program (AYSOTP) is an outpatient program for juvenile sex offenders who have admitted their involvement in illegal or inappropriate sexual behavior. The program targets youth males ages 12–17, whose offenses could range from inappropriate physical encounters to pornography addiction.
Unlike many government-run programs, participants are referred by local doctors and mental health agencies, although some are court-ordered.
The process of enrollment begins with an assessment of the youth’s family history. Depending on the case, youth and their families are able to participate in group, individual or family counseling. RFY requires parents to participate with their children in the AYSOTP.
“Group counseling is very important to us, because it involves the parents, which makes our program quite different from others,” said Jennifer Vincent, a credentialed sexual abuse youth clinician for the organization.
Vincent works specifically with the youth enrolled in the program in a group setting, usually males, for about 90 minutes each week. Sessions can continue anywhere from nine months to a couple of years.
In a nearby room, parents participate in group counseling with Dr. Robert Bennett, director of clinical services at RFY and director of the Masters of Social Work Program at the Indiana University School of Social Work in Indianapolis. Bennett leads group discussions on topics such as boundaries, sexual health, sexual offense laws within the state, pornography addiction and others.
Program facilitation depends heavily on the number of referrals received. The organization would like to keep AYSOTP ongoing, but if referral rates decline, there may not be enough participants to start a program session. RFY is set to begin a session soon with about six boys and six sets of parents.
Bennett said parental involvement is key to the program’s success.
“What we found is the program does very well with our recidivism rate which is about 5 percent or less over a period of time, and we feel that has to do with having families on board,” Bennett said.
Vincent said RFY does find it difficult to get parents involved in the program, although it is a requirement to participate.
“That can be a challenge, because sometimes the child and their parents may live very far away. Some of the kids are on probation because of the offense, and there are people who are requiring them to be here, and unless their parent is with them, I can’t graduate them successfully,” Vincent said. “Parents really need to understand what is going on, how to handle other children in the home and how to make sure kids are safe.”
It is even more important for parents to be involved when a child has offended against a sibling in the home. A family friend may also be a victim of sexual abuse.
Vincent added youth usually commit offenses against someone they are around frequently.
RFY wants to make it clear they do not handle cases involving offenses committed by the youth against an adult or parent, but the organization wants the community to know there is a need for a program to address those types of cases.
Other programs in the city offer help similar to what AYSOTP offers, but the Department of Child Services must pay for those programs, and they most likely involve a situation in which the child has been removed from the home. Many of these programs do not accept outpatients or private health insurance as RFY does.
Kolp, RFY’s director, said 90 percent of their participants use Medicaid to cover costs, while others use an income-driven sliding scale. Since RFY is a nonprofit organization and receives little reimbursement from health insurance policies, they are always looking for financial donations to keep the program operating.
“We pride ourselves on not turning anyone away,” said Kolp. “Because we do not limit our Medicaid, we are always looking for contributions. This isn’t a ‘pretty program’ that people automatically donate to, but in light of the Subway spokesman and similar cases, it’s important to know there are programs. We need to get these kids in now, so they don’t end up like Jared.”
Vincent said not only is funding limited, but also it is difficult to come by therapists who want to work with this sector of youth. The National Incident-Based Reporting System and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, found although most juvenile sex offenders are teenagers, about 16 percent of those who come to police attention are younger than age 12.
When it comes to African-Americans who receive similar assistance, RFY found the percentage is very low. They believe this is due to a lack of knowledge of the programs offered.
The RFY team sees a bright future for the program and believes they act as an important community resource for those who may not know where else to turn, and they believe the family component is what truly makes the RFY program stand out.
“On a national basis, literature shows one of the predictors to if a child will offend again is if they have their families involved,” Bennett said. “Traditionally what we find is even with the reluctant parents, once they get into a group setting, they find they aren’t alone.”
For more information on Reach for Youth Inc., visit Reachforyouth.org.
