Practice report: A review of e-Safety remote computer monitoring for UK sex offenders

Abstract

There are currently around 32,300 registered sex offenders in the United Kingdom for whom recent years have seen the implementation of extensive supervision strategies, such as Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) and licence conditions. Concurrently, the last two decades have also seen heightened alertness to the use of communications technologies in the commission of child sexual abuse. This paper describes a 6-month pilot project investigating the management of computer use for registered sex offenders using e-Safety software, which examines PCs for specific inappropriate words and phrases, the results of which are monitored remotely by risk-management officers. The findings of the pilot project are discussed in the context of both the potential benefits for the detection of future inappropriate computer-related behaviour and also the potential benefits for promoting and identifying positive computer use by offenders. Finally, we discuss further development of the use of this software in sex offender management.

Keywords:

• Internet
• child sexual abuse
• sex offenders
• monitoring
• risk

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Erratum

Acknowledgements

The completion of the pilot would not have been possible without the foresight and dedication of D. S. Kevin Suckling and D. C. Leslie Cross (Surrey Police), and Bill Jenkins and Jon Hall (Securus Software Ltd). Our thanks also go to the Surrey Police RMOs who supervised the participants: Elaine Croft, Jacki Bennington, Kathy Blythe, Tina Humphrey, Heidi Laing and Steve Morfee. We would also like to thank Alasdair Gillespie, Reader in Law at Leicester De Montfort Law School, for his academic advice regarding legal issues related to the pilot.

Notes

1. Based on the Dogpile and Google search engines.

2. Either a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, for convicted sex offenders, or a Risk of Sexual Harm Order, for individuals who have not been convicted of sex offences, but are deemed to be at risk of doing so (Sexual Offences Act, 2003, c 42).

3. For the purpose of this pilot, Securus Software Ltd's e-Safety software was used to provide monitoring the monitoring technology. There is, however, other e-Safety software with the potential to provide the same outcomes.

4. We would like to make it clear that this system is being assessed as an additional monitoring tool for criminal justice agencies, specifically for monitoring potentially malevolent computer use. It is not presented as an alternative to or replacement for comprehensive multi-agency risk management strategies.

5. Careful goal-directed behaviour aimed at gaining and subsequently abusing the trust of an individual (Finkelhor, 1984).

6. ”SMS” or “text messaging” language is an abbreviated form employed by mobile phone users to maximize the number of words that can be typed when there are a limited number of characters available, and includes expressions such as “my hols wr gr8” [my holidays were great], or “c u 2moro on brdwy” [see you tomorrow on Broadway] (Perea, Acha & Carreiras, 2009).

7. This job title is used by Surrey Police. Other forces may have different titles for this position (e.g. Offender Manager, Risk Manager, etc.).

8. A violation captured by the software that was not deemed to be relevant to the offender's risk.

9. A initial review of this service has been completed and is available from the authors.

10. The LFF has, at this time, trained all Hampshire Constabulary RMOs in the installation of the e-Safety software.