Ruttledge, David (2022) The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Sexual Offending: Barriers to Successful Reintegration and the Need for Reform in the Irish Context. Masters thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.

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Abstract

The focus of this research dissertation was to analyse the potentials barriers to the successful reintegration of sexual offenders with a history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). By assessing these barriers this dissertation aimed to examine if the association between ACEs and sexual offending should be recognised by legislators and penal policy makers when implementing new legislative changes and if reform is necessary in the Republic of Ireland. By using a desk-based research approach to answer these research questions, the existing literature suggested that treatment programmes without a trauma informed approach, biased public perceptions and punitive post-release legislation were three significant barriers to the successful reintegration of sex offenders with a history of ACEs. The literature points to a series of measures that should counteract the impacts of these barriers and so recommendations were made for the implementation of trauma-informed care treatment programmes, restorative justice, and involving the public in legislative changes as necessary reforms to improve the reintegration of sex offenders with a history of adverse childhood experiences. The Republic of Ireland was analysed to assess whether these barriers were in need of reform through the available research. This analysis found that these barriers were uniquely imbedded within the legislation and penal policies of this jurisdiction. The sex offender treatment programme used in Ireland, the BBL, fails to acknowledge a history of trauma in these offenders, the public perceptions are only recently beginning to emerge after the Catholic Church sex abuse scandals although they appear to be punitive and the recent changes in post release legislation suggest Ireland is following a penal populist approach whereby evidence based legislation is not apparent and rather it is going in the direction of punishing these offenders further while research points to this been counterproductive. The recommendations made throughout this dissertation were assessed for their applicability to Ireland and appear to be viable options if there is an acknowledgement of the necessity to implement them although like other jurisdictions it appears that this may take some time as the evidence between ACEs and sex offending is only beginning to emerge since the first ACEs study 25 years ago.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Additional Information:	A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Keywords:	Association; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Sexual Offending; Barriers; Successful Reintegration; Reform; Irish Context; Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
Item ID:	19049
Depositing User:	IR eTheses
Date Deposited:	15 Oct 2024 12:54
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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