The impact of stigmatisation on people with child sex offences living in the community

Purpose Living in the community as a person with child sex offences can be difficult. The stigma of such offences can impact upon a person’s ability to gain employment or housing, maintain or establish relationships and live an “ordinary” life. The fear of being “outed” as a “child sex offender” can cause anxiety, isolation and increase the potential to withhold truth. The purpose of this paper is therefore to highlight what the impact of stigma can be on a small cohort of men living in the community, post-sexual conviction. Design/methodology/approach Ten men living in the community with child sex offences were interviewed on a semi-structured basis as part of a wider project exploring their community experiences. Thematic data analysis was used. Findings It was established that the label of “child sex offender” limited the participants life in the community. They often tried to live a “normal” life by managing the stigma in specific ways: calling themselves “ex-sex offenders”; accepting the label; isolating themselves; and passing off their identity. It was found that time was a significant healer when it came to the “potency” of the label. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this project is one of only a few similar studies that have drawn qualitative data from an English cohort of people with child sex offences. It adds new information to the literature surrounding the impact of stigma.