File(s) under permanent embargo
Police officers' perceptions of interviewing offenders on sex offender registries
journal contribution
posted on 2014-12-01, 00:00 authored by Martine Powell, Andrew Day, Mairi Benson, Jim Vess, Joe GraffamPolice interviews with offenders form an important component of the sex offender registry monitoring process. This study provides an analysis of police professionals’ perceptions of the benefits and process of interviewing offenders on sex offender registries. Participants were a heterogeneous sample of 24 Australian police personnel whose roles were primarily associated with the operation of sex offender registries across three different jurisdictions. Participants’ perceptions of sex offender registry interviews were elicited using non-directive prompts in focus groups of between two and five officers. Transcripts of these focus groups were analysed and
key themes identified. Reported benefits related to the identification and correction of misunderstandings about registry requirements and elicitation of information to assist ongoing management and investigation of new offences. Further, establishing a sound relationship enabled proactive support of the offender in his/her attempt not to re-offend. Interview procedures emphasised the importance of genuine engagement and a relationship based on trust. The findings highlighted several challenges to interviewing and directions for further training, support and research. Participants’ responses underscore the significant role that interviews play in the effective implementation of sex offender registries and emphasise the need for successful engagement of offenders during these interviews to improve the utility of registry schemes. This was the first study to examine the strengths and challenges of interviewing offenders on the registry from a policing perspective.
key themes identified. Reported benefits related to the identification and correction of misunderstandings about registry requirements and elicitation of information to assist ongoing management and investigation of new offences. Further, establishing a sound relationship enabled proactive support of the offender in his/her attempt not to re-offend. Interview procedures emphasised the importance of genuine engagement and a relationship based on trust. The findings highlighted several challenges to interviewing and directions for further training, support and research. Participants’ responses underscore the significant role that interviews play in the effective implementation of sex offender registries and emphasise the need for successful engagement of offenders during these interviews to improve the utility of registry schemes. This was the first study to examine the strengths and challenges of interviewing offenders on the registry from a policing perspective.
History
Journal
International journal of police science & managementVolume
16Issue
4Season
WinterPagination
255 - 266Publisher
Sage PublicationsLocation
London, EnglandPublisher DOI
ISSN
1461-3557eISSN
1478-1603Language
EnglishPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2014, Sage PublicationsUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC