“I’ve made more steps forward here than I have anywhere else”: a mixed methods exploration of a service to rehabilitate individuals with sexual convictions

Purpose Despite the need for holistic and well-rounded support during the transition from prison into the community for people convicted of sexual offending, and the empirical evidence that such support can keep individuals and communities safe, there are very few support services and fewer empirical opportunities to examine the impact of such services. The Safer Living Foundation (SLF) based in England is one of the few charitable organisations working to reduce sexual (re)offending through rehabilitative, reintegrative and preventative initiatives. One of the core initiatives delivered by the SLF is the The Safer Living Centre (SLC), which seeks to address a gap in provision by offering a supportive environment geared towards facilitating reintegration, and desistance, and building protective factors. This study aims to ascertain whether the SLC supports people convicted of sexual offending back into the community, whether it contributes to changes on strength-based measures for the men, and to understand how the centre may help reintegrate individuals. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a mixed-method approach with a convergent parallel design, incorporating repeated measures strength-based psychometrics and qualitative interviews. A total of n = 61 participants were recruited for the study at timepoint 1, with n = 29 available for data collection at timepoint 2, of which n = 16 of those also participated in a qualitative study. Findings Findings indicate significant improvements in participants’ well-being, a reduction in shame and enhanced hope over six months. However, despite these positive changes, baseline scores for depression, anxiety and stress remained high, highlighting the ongoing, structural challenges faced by people with a sexual offence history. Qualitatively, the SLC helped participants belong and find a purpose and place within the centre. The study highlights the importance of evidence-informed and community-based initiatives in facilitating reintegration and suggests the need for policies that expand such services to mitigate recidivism and promote desistance. Originality/value The SLC is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first of its kind globally. It represents a new way of trying to rehabilitate those with sexual convictions. This is then the first study to evaluate such an approach and consider its effectiveness. The study contributes towards the limited research into evidence-based reintegration initiatives for individuals convicted of sexual offending.