The New York Times
For juvenile justice officials, the line between a burgeoning pedophile and a kid with boundary problems is often unclear. While some youth seem to make sexually charged mistakes born of immaturity and distorted ideas of appropriateness, others may be exhibiting the first signs of life-long problems.
Many therapists working with juvenile sex offenders have come to believe they can distinguish between young pedophiles and misguided kids, and that they are able to rehabilitate most youth – although a consensus on best practices has yet to be reached. Public policy, however, has been moving in the other direction, placing many juveniles convicted of sexual offenses on public registries, leaving them to be taunted and shunned in their communities and schools. July 22, http://www.nytimes.com.
