ABSTRACT
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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part one|58 pages
Setting the scene
chapter 2|18 pages
From a minority interest to accredited programmes
chapter 3|17 pages
Media influences on public perceptions of sex offenders
part two|117 pages
Types of offences and victims
chapter 7|24 pages
Sexual revictimisation
part three|77 pages
Settings and approaches to working with sex offenders
chapter 10|21 pages
Residential work with sex offenders
part four|71 pages
Skills, practice and policy development with sex offenders