Sex Offenders Scotland

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SEX OFFENDERS' REGISTER

"An Act to require the notification of information to the police by persons who have committed certain sexual offences; to make provision with respect to the commission of certain sexual acts outside the United Kingdom; and for connected purposes." - Sex Offenders Act 1997

The Sex Offenders' Register was introduced in 1997 following the implementation of the Sex Offenders Act 1997. It holds the details - name, address, national insurance number, bank, credit card and passport details - of people convicted of sex crimes.

Offenders must register at a prescribed police station within three days of their conviction, or if they are incarcerated then they must register within three days of being released. They must re-confirm their details every 12 months. They must notify the police if they intend to leave home for seven days or more, if they intent to travel overseas and if there are any changes to their home address. Failure to comply with the requirements can be punishable with up to five years in prison.

Registered sex offenders are managed in a variety of ways by various authorities. The main agencies involved in their management are the Police, Social Work, Local Authorities and Prison Service.

police visits and interviews
regular multi-agency meetings to share information, take action and reduce the risk of harm
ongoing reviews of the level of risk each offender poses
surveillance of high-risk offenders
treatment to reduce re-offending
recalling offenders to prison for any serious breach of the conditions of their release
providing supervised accommodation where offenders can be closely watched, tagged or put under an appropriate curfew
controlling how information about specific offenders is shared with the public or key community representatives

Offenders are not necesarily added to the register for life. Below is a table indicating the set out notification periods determined by sentence.

SENTENCE	NOTIFICATION PERIOD
Life imprisonment	Indefinite period
Admitted to hospital under restriction order	Indefinite period
30 + months imprisonment	Indefinite period
Between 6 – 30 months imprisonment	10 years
6 of less months imprisonment	7 years
Admitted to hospital not under restriction order	7 years
Non-custodial sentence	5 years