Sexual harm prevention orders: bespoke public protection or disproportionate backdoor criminalisation?

• In Event: Sexual offending and victimization

Abstract

Sixty-four professionals from diverse quarters of the UK criminal justice system were interviewed on the workings of the Sex Offender Register, and the use of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders with sexual offenders emerged as an important aspect of this topic. These are civil orders that contain an individualised list of requirements which commonly include activities that must or must not be undertaken, places that must not be visited, people who the subject must not be with, and restrictions relating to internet use. Whilst most practitioners believed they were highly effective because they were crafted around each individual's risk, there were also concerns around their use, both practical and ethical. These concerns are examined, and our interviewees' suggestions for improving their use are presented.

Authors

• Wendy Fitzgibbon, University of Westminster

• Maria Ansbro, Buckinghamshire New University