Maybe you saw the Associated Press story yesterday about an alleged increase in the number of juvenile sex offenders. The reporter, Kim Curtis, noted that the number of juvenile sex offenses has increased-- 40 percent over two decades. Moreover, the offenders are getting younger and more violent.

Some attribute the increase to a society saturated with sex and violence. Others attribute the supposed increase to more awareness, better reporting and general hysteria over sex offenders.

I have represented several juvenile sex offenders. Once you meet these kids, you'll understand that the headlines don't show the whole person.

For example, I represented a 14 year old girl who had been terribly, sexually abused since a young age. At age 14, she was at a "party" with about four high school students. One of them, a 15 year old boy, invited her to engage in sex with him. My client looked for guidance from the older girl who had brought her to the party. The older girl smiled, which my client took as approval. So, she went upstairs and had sex with the boy. By the time they came to my office, both the boy and the girl were convicted of statutory rape.

In another case, I represented a boy who served as the lookout for his friend. His friend had persuaded a girl to give him oral sex under the stairs at school. She later claimed she had been coerced, even though she had walked with the perpetrator in front of the school office and past the security personnel. My client was convicted as an accomplice and listed on the sexual offender registry, even though he never engaged in the sexual activity itself.

These are just two examples of the many ways young people find themselves branded for life as sexual offenders. Perhaps somewhere some teens truly engage in predatory, violent sexual acts. However, my clients have been kids who get caught up in a system that wasn't designed for their situation. Eventually, they become a statistic in the alleged growth of sexual offenses.