Big investment in policy with no guarantees

Strong feelings of revulsion and repugnance typically outweigh analysis and reason when ways of preventing child sex offences are considered.

Australia’s Northern Territory Government this week introduced a bill establishing an online sex offender register despite the idea being rejected by all other Australian governments and the lack of evidence that such programmes are effective.

The bill has been labelled Daniel’s Law in memory of a lad who was murdered by a sex offender. His parents have long lobbied for a register. Northern Territory attorney-general John Elferink said he understood researchers have found little evidence that open sex offender registers enhance child safety. But ‘‘I also know what the parents think and feel’’.

Meanwhile a bill to establish a Child Protection Offender Register in this country was being sent to a select committee for scrutiny with general support from MPs, although some expressed misgivings. A big difference is that information will be held on ‘‘a secure database’’ (although government records are notoriously prone to leaking). Only authorised Police and Corrections staff and some social agency officials will be able to access and exchange relevant information. In some cases information may be released to a third party, such as a partner of an offender. The register will list child sex offenders aged 18 years or over who have committed certain offences and are sentenced to imprisonment, or sentenced to a non-custodial sentence and directed to be registered at the discretion of a sentencing judge. All registered offenders, when residing in the community, will be required to update their personal information annually or risk imprisonment.

Critics raise human rights issues and question whether those on the list should have to endure disproportionately severe punishment (some will be subjected to reporting obligations for the rest of their lives). On the other hand, offenders may see no gain from attending rehabilitation programmes and there’s the potential for victims not to report intra-family abuse.

Moreover, studies show repeat offending among sex offenders is much less than the public imagines.

Political commentator Malcolm Harbrow has done some sums based on Government figures. He concluded $231 million will be spent over 10 years to prevent, at best, one offender a year. That’s a big investment in a policy likely to result more in public approbation than worthwhile results.