Jade: I spent the last six years of my teaching/counseling career working at a residential facility specializing in the treatment of adjudicated juvenile sexual offenders.......young pedophiles.  The psychology of sexual offending is complex and treatment is very, very difficult.  One consistent factor, however, is a high percentage of offenders were first victims themselves.  Offenders often seek positions "rich in targets" and become expert at selecting the most volnerable kids and "grooming" them for "victimhood."  Those victims often require years of intense counseling and psychotherapy to recover from the offense. 

While we may have "sympathy" for the offender, our real concern should be for the innocent victims who have had their lives forever changed by the trauma of their victimization.  Pedophiles often "leave a trail" of dozens of victims before they're finally discovered.  IMO, it's among the most destructive crimes and is nearly impossible to forgive.  Gary Crum