Understandings, Implications and Alternative Approaches to the Use of the Sex Offender Register in the UK

This article reviews the current state of sex offender registration and community notification in England and Wales Drawing on previous research and a current examination of police perceptions of registration, notification and disclosure in this jurisdiction the article discusses issues related to the efficacy of such schemes in the effective management of sexual offenders (including – issues related to Information sharing, the Public and professional utility of Child Sexual Offender Disclosure Scheme (CSODS), Issues with the CSODS process and how the Sex Offender Register and CSODS could be used more effectively. Given that a similar disclosure scheme has been introduced in NI in 2016 there are issues highlighted which practitioners in that jurisdiction may find useful to consider. The article concludes by discussing alternative ways that the current sex offender register and community notification schemes could be more effectively used to prevent child sexual abuse, emphasizing a public health approach and the ‘spectrum of prevention’.