Sex Offenders: Punish, Help, Change or Control?: Theory, Policy and Practice Explored

Sex offending, and in particular child sex offending, is a complex area for policy makers, theorists and practitioners. A focus on punishment has reinforced sex offending as a problem that is essentially `other' to society and discourages engagement with the real scale and scope of sexual offending in the UK. This book looks at the growth of work with sex offenders, questioning assumptions about the range and types of such offenders and what effective responses to these might be.

Divided into four sections, this book sets out the growth of a broad legislative context and the emergence of child sexual offenders in criminal justice policy and practice. It goes on to consider a range of offences and victim typologies arguing that work with offenders and victims is complex and can provide a rich source of theoretical and practical knowledge that should be utilised more fully by both policy makers and practitioners. It includes work on female sex offenders, electronic monitoring and animal abuse as well as exploring interventions with sex offenders in three different contexts; prisons, communities and hostels.

Bringing together academic, practice and policy experts, the book argues that a clear but complex theoretical and policy approach is required if the risk of re- offending and further victimisation is to be reduced. Ultimately, this book questions whether it makes sense to locate responsibility for responding to sexual offending solely within the criminal justice domain.

Introduction, Jo Brayford, Francis Cowe, and John Deering , Section 1 - Setting the Scene , 1. Legislation and Sex Offending, Nigel Stone , 2. The Rise of Work with Sex Offenders, Maurice Vanstone , 3. Media Influences on Public Perceptions of Sex Offenders, Jo Brayford and John Deering , Section 2 - Types of Offences / Victims, 4 . Sexual Offenders' Construction of Identities, Kirsty Hudson , 5. Female Sex Offenders: The Betrayal of Trust, Jo Brayford and Susan Roberts , 6. Sexual Abuse and Learning Difficulties, Michelle Culwick , 7. Sexual Re-victimization, Nadia Wager , 8. Animal Abuse and Sexual Offending, Jenny Maher and Harriet Pierpoint , 9. Sexual Offending and the Internet, Majid Yar , Section 3 - Settings, 10. Hostels and Sex Offenders, Francis Cowe and Carla Reeves , 11. Prison and Sex Offender Interventions, Kate Saward and Cerys Miles , 12. Circles of Support, Chris Wilson and Andrew Bates , 13. Electronic control and surveillance of offenders, Mike Nellis , Section 4 - Skills/Policy, 14. MAPPA: The Management of Sex Offenders, Hazel Kemshall and Jason Wood , 15. PO Enforcement Practice with Sex Offenders, Pamela Ugwudike , 16. Emotional Literacy in Working with Sex Offenders, Charlotte Knight, 17. Conclusion, Jo Brayford, Francis Cowe, and John Deering