NCJ Number
237681
Date Published
March 2010
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This report from the Home Office in Great Britain presents the results of a process evaluation of the year-long Public Disclosure Pilots dealing with a formal mechanism for obtaining information on child sex offenders.
Abstract
Results of the process evaluation of the Public Disclosure Pilots include the following: the number of inquiries to the program were smaller than originally anticipated, with 585 inquiries leading to 315 applications; of the 315 applications, 21 (7 percent) resulted in a disclosure with 11 of those disclosures being for information not related to convictions for child sex offenses; and 43 of the applications resulted in disclosure of information pertaining to other child safeguarding actions. The process evaluation also included interviews of the individuals submitting applications for information, as well as with police and offender managers and registered sex offenders (RSOs). Results of the interviews with applicants indicate that most of the applicants were satisfied with the pilot process, and felt that the pilot contributed to general levels of alertness about risks to, and protection of, children. Interviews with police and offender managers revealed that these officials felt that the pilot disclosure process formalized an effective child protection practice that they had already been using. A small group of RSOs were interviewed following the year-long pilot program. The RSOs initial reaction to the program was anxiety about negative reactions from the community. This reaction decreased as the program progressed because most RSOs realized that the program was an extension of existing controls. A discussion of the cost analysis of the pilot program is also included in this report. In addition, a set of eight recommendations are presented in the event that the pilot program is implemented on a national basis. Tables, appendixes, and references