Mackenzie Auld1, Dr Nichola Tyler2, Dr Caleb Lloyd3, Dr Louise Dixon4, Inspector Margaret-Anne Laws5
1Victoria University of Wellington / New Zealand Police, 180 Molesworth Street, Wellington, New Zealand 6011, 2Swinburne University of Technology, 1/582 Heidelberg Rd, Alphington VIC, Australia 3078, 3Swinburne University of Technology, 1/582 Heidelberg Rd, Alphington VIC, Australia 3078, 4Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Rd, Glasgow G4 0BA, United Kingdom, 5New Zealand Police, 180 Molesworth Street, Wellington, New Zealand 6011
Abstract:
The New Zealand Register has adopted a novel human services approach to the monitoring and case management of individuals who have sexually offended against children. However, there has been no robust research to date that has examined the effectiveness of this rehabilitative approach on outcomes for registered persons. Study one aimed to evaluate whether the Register is achieving its intended goal of reducing recidivism. Survival analyses and Cox regression were used to measure the association between the Register and sexual, violent, and general recidivism. After controlling for risk, registration was associated with reduced recidivism rates of all types with the exception of child sexual exploitation material offences. Furthermore, placement on risk management tiers incrementally predicted sexual recidivism after accounting for registration among a high-risk subsample. Given the amount of community supervision received is dependent on management tier, these findings suggest that the appropriate level of service via tiers is why the Register is associated with reduced sexual recidivism among individuals assessed as being at higher risk for sexual reoffending, rather than simply being on the Register itself. Implications for policy and practice both internationally and within the New Zealand context to be discussed.