NCJ Number
227488
Date Published
2009
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines the management of dangerous offenders (violent and sexual offenders) within a specific cultural and social framework.
Abstract
The current cultural and political climate in which dangerous offenders are supervised suggests that the argument that there is not, nor should there be a desire for prison in the community, may be a misplaced conviction. There is an increasing shift to extend social controls in the pursuit of satisfying public fears over safety. However, this approach may not be as effective in reducing the harm dangerous offenders pose or ensuring public safety. The ultimate challenge may lie in the types of risks one wishes to avoid and manage, those deemed as bad and ultimately the type of society wished for. In an address given in 2007 by Andrew Bridges, HM Chief Inspector of Probation governing England and Wales, Bridges notes how misplaced assumptions about community supervision may arise primarily through changes in terminology, 'being under supervision' has replaced 'being on probation', which creates a sense that community supervision could and should mirror prison in terms of control and supervision. This chapter considers the significance of language in both defining and describing dangerous offenders, which illuminates the challenges and provides possible solutions. In Andrew Bridges assertion that the prison and community controls are two distinctly separate entities, the chapter considers how these boundaries may be blurred in the pursuit of risk management. Both operational and legislative measures in place to manage dangerous offenders are examined, as well as technical developments in the realm of public safety. References