ABSTRACT
Starting with the proposition that juvenile sex offenders are not a homogeneous group in terms of their psychopathology, a careful assessment of differential offending-related variables is necessary to ensure the appropriateness of the approach to, and content of, their treatment. It is also important to determine who is most suitable for treatment and, in some rare instances, whether treatment is not indicated or is not feasible. Pertinent to the assessment of juvenile sex and other offenders is the important issue of the risk of reoffending. Risk assessment has become an industry in the field of criminology and such assessments are now common inclusions in forensic reports prepared by experts in the criminal justice field. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is one of the most widely used tests for the assessment of adolescents and, in particular, one of the most used tests in forensic settings. The validity scales of the MMPI also influence the forensic utility of the instrument.
