Treatment in prison fails to keep pace

The NSPCC is urging the government to ensure convicted sex
offenders undergo treatment before being released into the
community.

The latest statistics released by the 42 police and probation areas
in England and Wales show there are now 52,809 violent and sex
offenders covered by multi-agency public protection arrangements,
the process for managing dangerous offenders. Of these, 21,413 are
registered sex offenders, up 16 per cent from 18,513 last
year.

But the Prison Service’s annual report for 2003 shows that the
target of at least 950 prisoners completing the sex offender
treatment programme was not achieved, with 879 finishing the
course.

The NSPCC also points out that the latest inspection report of
Whatton Prison, Nottingham, where the entire population is made up
of sex offenders, states that only 47 of the 272 prisoners had
completed an offender behaviour programme.

NSPCC policy adviser Christine Atkinson said the government “worked
hard” to set up multi-agency protection arrangements.

“It must now use the same tenacity to address the treatment and
rehabilitation of sex offenders in prison before they are
released,” she said.