TY - JOUR
T1 - Information pertaining to released sex offenders
T2 - To disclose or not to disclose, that is the question
AU - O’Reilly, Margaret Fitzgerald
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Howard League and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - When it comes to offenders, none stand so loathed in the public mind as sex offenders. So when it comes time for such offenders to be released, policies within the criminal justice sphere have focused upon managing potential risks in the name of public protection. In recent times one issue that remains particularly contentious is that of disclosure of information about sex offenders, particularly public access to such information. This is part of a larger issue as to whether sex offenders are ever allowed to move on with their lives following a conviction. Post-release management of offenders aims to enhance public safety, but it also affects the idea that once an offender has served their sentence, the criminal justice system no longer has any claim over them. With this issue in mind, this article aims to examine current policy and debates in Ireland on the issue of disclosure in light of policy changes elsewhere. Rather than definitively answer the question posed in the title, the article seeks to explore how disclosure of information could serve to perpetuate the idea of ‘once an offender, always an offender’, thus rendering it impossible to move to a narrative of reintegration and rehabilitation.
AB - When it comes to offenders, none stand so loathed in the public mind as sex offenders. So when it comes time for such offenders to be released, policies within the criminal justice sphere have focused upon managing potential risks in the name of public protection. In recent times one issue that remains particularly contentious is that of disclosure of information about sex offenders, particularly public access to such information. This is part of a larger issue as to whether sex offenders are ever allowed to move on with their lives following a conviction. Post-release management of offenders aims to enhance public safety, but it also affects the idea that once an offender has served their sentence, the criminal justice system no longer has any claim over them. With this issue in mind, this article aims to examine current policy and debates in Ireland on the issue of disclosure in light of policy changes elsewhere. Rather than definitively answer the question posed in the title, the article seeks to explore how disclosure of information could serve to perpetuate the idea of ‘once an offender, always an offender’, thus rendering it impossible to move to a narrative of reintegration and rehabilitation.
KW - Disclosure
KW - Reintegration
KW - Risk management
KW - Sex offenders
KW - Stigma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85051797368&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/hojo.12256
DO - 10.1111/hojo.12256
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85051797368
SN - 2059-1098
VL - 57
SP - 204
EP - 230
JO - Howard Journal of Crime and Justice
JF - Howard Journal of Crime and Justice
IS - 2
ER -