NCJ Number
137691
Date Published
Unknown
Length
30 pages
Annotation
During the past few years, the number of sex offenders in British gaols (jails) has grown rapidly, and this paper examines the reasons for that expansion.
Abstract
The increase in the number of sex offenders is due to a combination of three factors: increase in the number of sex offenses recorded by the police, increase in the number and length of custodial sentences, and changes in parole practices. The most immediate impact of the rising number of sex offenders on the prison system has been an increase in the number of prisoners segregated for their own protection under Prison Rule 43. Rule 43 allows for the removal from association of any prisoner at the governor's discretion. The presence of a sizable Rule 43 population means that prisons are obligated to run two separate regimes in the same building with populations who must never be allowed to mix. The Home Office response to the expanded Rule 43 population has been to treat it entirely as an administrative problem and to deal with it entirely by administrative means. An additional consequence of the increased number of sex offenders in prison revolves around the question of what level of specialist provision should be made available for these offenders. The Home Office has not been able to create the conditions for a coherent system of specialist provision. Recommendations to deal with sex offenders in prison focus on less severe sentencing, removal of restrictions on granting parole, integration of sex and nonsex offenders in a properly structured environment, elimination of Rule 43, prison initiatives to make specialist provision available, and adequate prison management and staffing.