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Managing risk

From regulation to the reintegration of sexual offenders

Queen’s University Belfast, UK

In recent years the management of the dangerous, particularly sex offenders, has generated enormous concern. This concern has been reflected at a number of different levels—in media and popular responses to the risk posed by released sex offenders and in official discourses where an abundance of legislation and policy reforms have been enacted within a relatively short period. This analysis seeks to evaluate critically these developments within the context of contemporary criminal justice policy and practice in relation to the management of sex offenders in the community. The article analyses the contemporary focus on risk management or preventative governance which underpins the current regulatory framework and has been reflected in both the sentencing options and in control in the community initiatives for sex offenders. In this respect, the article highlights the gap between policy and practice in terms of the effective risk management of sex offenders. Given the failure of the traditional justice system with respect to these types of offences, it will be argued that the retributive framework could usefully be supplemented by the theory and practice of reintegrative or restorative community justice, in order to manage better the risk presented by sex offenders in the community.

Key Words: restorative justice • risk management • sex offenders

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