Disclosure of sex offenders rejected
MICHAEL HOWIE
PAEDOPHILES and rapists should be kept in mainstream housing in their local area rather than in bed and breakfasts and hostels, a new government document recommends.
The Scottish Executive's draft strategy on accommodating sex offenders also rejects the widespread disclosure of the whereabouts and identity of convicted sex attackers.
The paper, which has been sent to groups such as police and housing associations for consultation, last night sparked criticism from opposition MSPs who said it did not recognise the "rights" of communities to know the risks posed by sexual predators.
There were also complaints that it preempted the findings of a parliamentary committee which is about to examine whether a disclosure policy should be introduced.
The draft strategy deals with accommodation for sex offenders, including those who have been released from prison after serving a custodial sentence.
It forms part of a series of reforms to the criminal justice system in Scotland and aims to strengthen provisions for the management of sex offenders.
The new draft document argues that stable accommodation, with support, can help cut the risk of further offending.
And while it says that there is no ideal location for housing such offenders, it rejects the use of both hostel and bed and breakfast accommodation.
The strategy explains that using hostel accommodation runs the risk of bringing together a group sex offenders in one area, and also points out there are often vulnerable people - including children - in such places.
It says "under no circumstances" should bed and breakfasts be used, as it is impossible to manage risk in them.
Instead it recommends that sex offenders should normally be accommodated in mainstream housing in the local authority area where they come from.
The strategy also warns that evicting sex offenders can heighten risk through offenders being "lost from the system" or not finishing rehabilitation programmes, and urges housing providers planning such a move to consult police and local authorities.
The draft strategy also dismisses calls for the identity and whereabouts of sex offenders to be made public knowledge.
This, it argues, will increase the likelihood of them going underground and no longer taking part in rehabilitation programmes.
In June this year Home Secretary John Reid announced he was sending a junior minister to the US to look at how "Megan's Law" works.
It allows parents to access information about paedophiles who may be living in their neighbourhoods.
In Scotland the mother of a murder victim is calling for a similar scheme.
Margaret Ann Cummings has been campaigning for parents to be told if there are registered sex offenders in their area following the death of her eight-year-old son Mark.
He was killed and thrown down a rubbish chute by Stuart Leggate, a known sex offender who lived in the same tower block in Royston, Glasgow.
But following the independent review by Professor George Irving, ministers in Scotland opted for a limited disclosure system - where certain people such as landlords, leisure centre bosses and employers can be given information about sex offenders if they ignore police warnings about their behaviour.
However, the Scottish Parliament's justice 2 committee has set up a sub-committee to probe the extent to which communities should receive information about child sex offenders and the way housing is allocated to them.
Kenny MacAskill, the SNP's justice spokesman, who sits on the committee, last night voiced anger at the draft strategy's rejection of a "Mark's Law".
He said: "Given that we have got a committee investigating Mark's Law, this seems to be pre-empting what that may seek to consider.
"I think the community has rights, not just individuals. The issue the committee is looking at is how we allow those rights to be expressed - whether it is direct information to individuals or more circumspect.
"But the fact of the matter is that communities have rights and to suggest otherwise is not only arrogant but potentially dangerous."
An spokesman for the Executive said: "The Executive has been working closely with a multi-agency group to develop a National Accommodation Strategy for Sex Offenders.
"The strategy has public safety at its heart, and provides a clear national framework for the accommodation of sex offenders in the community in support of the wider aims of protecting the public and reducing re-offending.
"The strategy will form part of the package of wider Executive reforms to strengthen the provisions for the management of sex offenders in Scotland."
It is hoped that the final strategy will be published in the autumn.
Related topics
Rape and the legal system http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=53
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1186202006
Last updated: 15-Aug-06 01:54 BST
