‘From being a mouse to being a lion’: Understanding the role and necessity of community-based Safer Living Foundation centres for men who have a sexual conviction

• In Event: Evaluating community sanctions and measures

Abstract

The expectation that the carceral estate in England and Wales will reach 94,400 by next year (March 2025) is just one stain upon an already flawed ‘justice’ system. Characterised by populism and punitivity in the name of ‘public protection’, the penal estate is – and has been for generations – failing those trapped within the system. Peddled by politicians and the tabloid media, vindictive discourses coalesce to fuel a distain towards those with a conviction, especially those for a sexual crime. Whilst the causes of sexual (re)offending, e.g., social isolation make for tough reading, the antidote to societal ills lie within the community itself. Working with those who have committed sexual crime to understand their lived experiences and traumas can be hard but is needed if (re)offending is it reduce, and in turn the size of the penal estate also. This paper will discuss the work of the Safer Living Foundation (SLF) charity, which plays a unique role in the community by supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration of people who have offence-related thoughts through to those who have a sexual conviction. In particular, the paper will discuss the role and development of SLF community-based centres which operate in agreement with probation to support the desistance of sexual crime. In doing the above, the paper will draw upon the authors’ longitudinal qualitative research interviews to explore and appraise the role that these centres have for those who engage with them. The author situates the research in a wider discussion around the need for evidence-based practices in criminal justice, and the challenges of doing charitable work in this area. Public criminology will frame recommendations due to its commitment in making a difference and bringing about positive change which compliments its overall theoretical potential for the development of holistic-focused policy and practice in criminal justice.

Author

• Kirsty Teague, University of Derby