Towards Safer Communities: A Desistance-Centred Approach to Managing People with Sexual Convictions

In recent years, the management of people with sexual convictions in the community has faced renewed scrutiny. The 2023 Independent Review into the Police-Led Management of Registered Sex Offenders (Creedon, 2023) challenged the status quo, calling for a move beyond containment strategies and towards approaches that support long-term behavioural change — in short, a shift towards desistance. This article introduces a new Desistance Practice Framework, developed in partnership with police professionals and people with sexual convictions. It provides a clear roadmap for how police can support desistance and strengthen public protection through relationship-based, person-centred policing.