ABSTRACT
The increase in the use of custody for sex offenders, together with the increase in the lengths of time they are spending in custody, has had a marked effect on the prison system. In 1981, there were just 1,110 convicted sex offenders in prison; by 1990, the number had risen to over 3,000. In 1981, sex offenders comprised 4 per cent of the sentenced prison population; by 1990, that proportion had gone up to 7 per cent.
