Public Eye on Sexual Offenders

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Recommended: Criminological theories to explain sexual offending

Public Eye on Sexual Offenders

In preparing for this essay it has been identified that sexual

offenders are not a homogenous group of individuals and that this is

an umbrella term used to describe a range of behaviours ranging from

acts of voyeurism and exhibitionism, to more serious acts of

pedophilia and rape.

For the purpose of this essay I have chosen to focus on the more

serious forms of sex offending which in my opinion, are the cause of

much of the current attention. In order to understand why sexual

offenders attract so much attention I will begin by considering

today’s society and the emergence of post-modernist values and the

preoccupation with risk. I shall then go on to consider the factors

which have influenced this current climate. These include the media

and its portrayal of high-profile cases like that of Sarah Payne and

Sidney Cooke, actions taken in the USA to manage dangerous offenders

and the introduction of new offences of ‘grooming’ spurred by the

growth of the internet.

Following this I shall concentrate on how the Criminal Justice System

has responded to society’s anxieties and public protection needs. I

will consider the range of strategies implemented to manage and reduce

risk, including new legislative provisions, the creation of a Sex

Offender Register, development of risk assessment tools, Multi-Agency

working and accredited programmes.

Finally I will consider the effectiveness of such interventions and

whether the current preoccupation with public protection and

management of offenders has been introduced at the expense of this

category of offenders, who are now at risk of over inclusiveness...

... middle of paper ...

... National Probation Service. London: NPS.

NEWS OF THE WORLD, 2000. Named, Shamed. In: A. Matravers. Sex

Offenders in the Community Managing & Reducing the Risks. ed. USA:

Willan Publishing

PROBATION SERVICES DIVISION, 1999. Early Warning Mechanism for the

Release or Discharge of Potentially Dangerous Offenders. London:

Probation Services Division, Home Office.

THE GUARDIAN, 2001. Safety net for chat rooms [online]. London.

Available from:

http://society.guardian.co.uk/socialcare/story/0,,463267,00.html

[Accessed 20 March 2005].

THOMAS, T., 2003. Sex Offender Community Notification: Experiences

from America. The Howard Journal. Vol 42, (3) p217-228.

Von Hirsch, a., & Ashworth, a., 1996. Protective Sentencing under

Section 2 (2)b:The Criteria for Dangerousness. Criminal Law Review, 2

(2), p175-183.

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