The Sexual Offences Act 2003 was given a third reading and received Royal assent. The Act introduced a wide range of measures to improve the protection of children and vulnerable people, including stronger penalties for sexual violence and sexual exploitation.
Source: Sexual Offences Act 2003, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 3 November 2003, columns 544-638, TSO
Links: Text of Act | Home Office press release | Hansard
Date: 2003-Nov
A new book explored recent criminal justice responses to the management of individuals convicted of sexual offences.
Source: Amanda Matravers (ed.), Sex Offenders in the Community: Managing and reducing the risks, Willan Publishing (01884 840337)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Nov
The government said that a new amendment to the Sexual Offences Bill would help the police crack down on sex offenders who tried to evade registration by not informing the police of their change of name or address. At the same time it announced that more than 300 people convicted of sex crimes would be removed from the register (this would follow the repeal of nineteenth-century laws on buggery and indecency between men, when the Sexual Offences Bill becomes law in 2004).
Source: Press release 6 October 2003, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Oct
There was a rise in reported cases of female rape in 2002-03, from 8,990 to 11,411.
Source: Jon Simmons and Tricia Dodd (eds.), Crime in England and Wales: 2002/2003, Statistical Bulletin 7/03, Home Office (020 7273 2084) | Jon Simmons, Clarissa Legg and Rachel Hosking, National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS): Analysis of the impact on recorded crime - Part one: National picture, On-Line Report 31/03, Home Office (web publication only) | Jon Simmons, Clarissa Legg and Rachel Hosking, National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS): Analysis of the impact on recorded crime - Part two: Impact on individual police forces, On-Line Report 32/03, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Bulletin 7/03 (pdf) | Home Office press release | Online report 31 (pdf) | Online report 32 (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
The Sexual Offences Bill was given a second reading. The Bill was designed to strengthen the monitoring of offenders on the sex offenders register, and introduce a range of new offences and harsher sentences for sexual offences against children and other vulnerable people. The government also announced a new ministerial committee to ensure the effectiveness of measures to protect those at risk, improve prevention, and support victims. Campaigners said that the Bill would criminalise the sexual activity of all young people, even if such activity was consensual. A committee of MPs expressed continuing concerns about some aspects of the Bill, despite amendments made to it. The House of Commons Library produced two background research papers on the Bill.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Debate 15.7.03, columns 177-251, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 14.7.03, Home Office (0870 000 1585) | Press release 10.7.03, fpa (formerly the Family Planning Association) (020 7923 5202) | Sexual Offences Bill, Fifth Report (Session 2002-03), HC 639, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522) | The Sexual Offences Bill [HL]: Policy Background, Research Paper 03/61, House of Commons Library (web publication only) | The Sexual Offences Bill [HL], Research Paper 03/62, House of Commons Library (web publication only)
Links: Hansard | Text of Bill | Home Office press release | FPA press release | HOC Committee report | HOC Library research paper 03/61 (pdf) | HOC Library research paper 03/62 (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
Researchers evaluated a prison-based voluntary treatment programme for sex offenders. Statistically significant differences were found between the treatment group and a comparison group, when sexual and violent reconviction rates within two years of release were combined.
Source: Caroline Friendship, Ruth Mann and Anthony Beech, The Prison-based Sex Offender Treatment Programme Evaluation, Research Findings 205, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Findings (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
A report said that the hundreds of known cases of trafficked children in the United Kingdom were just the 'tip of the iceberg', and thousands more may be trafficked each year. Mainly coming from west Africa, eastern Europe and Asia, the children were trafficked for benefit fraud, forced or early marriage, adoption, and exploitative labour, as well as sexual exploitation.
Source: Stop the Traffic, UNICEF UK (020 7405 5592)
Links: Report (pdf) | Community Care article | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
A report said that there were considerable disparities in the services provided to rape victims, resulting in a 'postcode lottery'. There were just seven specialist sexual assault referral centres in England, where rape victims could see a woman doctor and a counsellor, and report the attack to specially trained police officers.
Source: Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System, Interim Report on Victims and Witnesses, Fawcett Society (020 7628 4441)
Links: Report (pdf) | Fawcett Society press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
A new book explored the complex influences affecting the media treatment of sex crime, through every stage of the news production process, and related the findings to the wider context of cultural, economic and political change.
Source: Chris Greer, Sex Crime and the Media: Sex offending and the press in a divided society, Willan Publishing (01884 840337)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Jun
The government published its response to a report by a committee of MPs into the conduct of investigations into past cases of abuse in children s homes. It said that it did not share the committee's belief in the existence of large numbers of miscarriages of justice.
Source: The Government Reply to the Fourth Report from the Home Affairs Committee, Session 2001-2002 HC 836: The Conduct of Investigations into Past Cases of Abuse in Children s Homes, Cm 5799, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response (pdf) | HO press release | Hansard | Committee report
Date: 2003-Apr
The government began consultation on proposed measures to prevent those convicted of sexual offences against children from travelling to specified countries where there is a risk they will abuse children.
Source: Government Proposals on the Issue of Sex Offenders who Travel Abroad, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2003-Mar
Researchers assessed the childhood experiences and personal characteristics of male child victims of sexual abuse who themselves became sex abusers in later life.
Source: Daniel Salter et al., 'Development of sexually abusive behaviour in sexually victimised males: a longitudinal study', The Lancet 8.2.03 (020 7424 4910)
Links: Link to article
Date: 2003-Feb
The Crown Prosecution Service began consultation on its handling of rape cases.
Source: CPS Consultation on the Handling of Rape Cases, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000)
Links: Consultation Document (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2003-Jan
A Sexual Offences Bill was published, following an earlier White Paper. The Bill contained measures to strengthen the monitoring of offenders on the sex offenders register, and a range of new offences and harsher sentences for sexual offences against children and vulnerable people. Human rights campaigners expressed concern at an overemphasis on punitive rather than preventative measures.
Source: Sexual Offences Bill [HL], Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 29.1.03, Liberty (020 7403 3888)
Links: Text of Bill | White Paper (pdf) | White Paper | HO press release | Liberty press release | Stonewall press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jan
Researchers recommended that a broader outcome than reconviction rates should be measured in future evaluation/research regarding treatment for sexual offenders. Unofficial sources of data should also be used which indicate a lapse into previous offence-related sexual behaviour (recidivism).
Source: Louise Falshaw, Caroline Friendship and Andrew Bates, Sexual Offenders Measuring reconviction, re-offending and recidivism, Research Findings 183, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Findings (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jan