Juveniles who have sexually offended: support for desistance following the Good Lives Model
Among the various interventions developed in the field of sexual delinquency, the Good Lives Model (GLM), a humanistic and positivist rehabilitation model that focuses on identifying needs and developing internal and external resources, is of growing clinical interest. The foundations of GLM and of desistance are based on a positive conception of change that is oriented towards the individual’s resources rather than risks. This article presents the different stages of intervention according to GLM (adapted to adolescents) and illustrates them with examples from a follow-up study of juvenile sex offenders. Needs-based analysis and interventions under GLM can have a positive effect on the dynamic of desistance and offer new ways of perceiving oneself and of being perceived, providing an important influence in abandoning sexually deviant behavior.