Restorative justice and sexual offending in Scotland: public protection and future restorative developments

Responding to sexual offending is complex. Perceptions of justice for survivors of sexual offending can be fluid and multi-dimensional. A justice gap is acknowledged relating to the limitations of what criminal justice can provide survivors. Restorative justice is framed as an inclusionary and emotionally intelligent justice response that can aid post-trauma survivor growth. Empirical research has found restorative justice participation can also benefit individual efforts to desist from further sexual offending. Restorative justice practice in Scotland has a patchwork history. Scottish Government has been cautious in extending restorative justice practice to sexual offending.

This article is informed by a critical review of contextual literature. A research gap is identified. The views of public protection professionals in Scotland, relating to restorative approaches to sexual offending, have yet to be researched. Justice social workers, Police Scotland Sex Offender Policing Unit (SOPU) officers and Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) Coordinators, are a specialist professional group. Their unique public protection role will offer valuable insight into future research questions concerning restorative justice and sexual offending risk management, tension between criminal and restorative responses to sexual offending and desistance from further sexual offending. Future qualitative academic inquiry is proposed to address this research gap and to surface this specialist knowledge. Such views are likely to be beneficial to future RJ practice development as a response to sexual offending in Scotland.