| Popis: |
Community-based risk management strategies for people convicted of sexual offences (PCSO) can hinder successful reintegration, which plays an important role in reducing sexual recidivism. Section 161 of the Criminal Code is a Canadian risk management strategy, which aims to protect children by prohibiting people convicted of sexual offences against children (PCSO-C) from engaging in behaviours assumed (sometimes erroneously) to be associated with sexual offending. This study was the first to evaluate Section 161 prohibition orders, and explored inconsistencies in the interpretation and enforcement of these conditions between PCSO-C subject to Section 161 and two non-forensic subsamples of the Canadian public – community members and undergraduate students. Non-forensic participants expressed more negative attitudes toward the treatment of PCSO, which were found to mediate the relationship between group membership and subjective legal decision-making. Degree of support for Section 161 conditions did not appear to moderate this effect. Results raise concerns about the potential for increased personal discretion when enforcing or adhering to ambiguous or overly broad legal conditions. We suggest the need for continued efforts to establish an empirical understanding of the application, efficacy, and potential collateral consequences associated with this Canadian risk management strategy. |
