Dr Leona Mydlowski

This presentation outlines the findings from the Creedon Review and discusses the future of Active Risk Management System (ARMS) as a desistance tool

This presentation explores the concept of incorporating desistance into sex offender management by police and whether desistance is an achievable concept for police management

This paper analyses data from the violent and sex offenders register to compare those offenders that are currently managed under 'active' and 'reactive' management. This paper makes suggestions as to the 'typology' of offender that should be placed on reactive management.

This toolkit provides online resources for practitioners to use when engaging with young persons who engage in serious violence

This is a briefing paper for the police forces who manage sexual offenders. This provides a framework for police professionals to incorporate desistance into their practices of risk assessing sexual offenders

This presentation discussed the United Kingdom's approach to sex offender management and provides recommendations for adopting an international approach of management of sex offenders

This presentation presents work to date on the national ARMS review and presents next stages in the research

This presentation outlines findings from the first stage of the ARMS review, namely, interview and survey findings. This presentation provides recommendations for future versions of adult male risk assessments

This presentations discusses the current approach adopted in the united kingdom for police management of registered sex offenders. This paper particularly focuses on the home visit process, risk assessment and desistance

This presentation discusses the current approach to UK sex offender management (ARMS) and how a specialist group of police offender managers known as management of sexual and violent offenders (MOSOVO) utilise this risk assessment during the home visit

Comprehensive and multi-disciplinary public health approaches are necessary to prevent sexual re-offending. However, criminal justice solutions continue to dominate and the arrangement in England and Wales is no exception. The introduction of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in 2003 brought together the work of the police, prison and probation services in order to manage violent and sexual offenders. This paper focuses specifically on the work of the specialist police officers who are tasked under MAPPA with the Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) and whether or not they can assist desistance in those who have been convicted of a sexual offence. We argue that the risk-based, highly politicized model of public protection that MOSOVO staff operate within creates tensions more likely to hinder than facilitate desistance. As indicated by findings in an independent review of the police’s management of registered sex offenders (2023), successful desistance journeys are found in people who are supported by formal agents who actively promote hope and optimism and convey a belief that the person attempting desistance can change. In conclusion, we recommend that MOSOVO staff be willing and resourced to help individuals with sexual convictions develop a non-offending lifestyle and identity and support them in achieving this goal, which requires the provision ofcomprehensive support beyond risk management.

This paper is a briefing for police forces on the current management processes for managing registered sex offenders, risk assessment and home visit practice. This paper provides recommendations for future practice.

Under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in England and Wales, statutory agencies (police, probation, and prison services) are responsible for assessing and managing the risk of over 70,000 people subject to sexual notification requirements. With the majority (approximately three-quarters) of this population being managed in the community by specialist police professionals, control and containment approaches dominate policy and practice. This is of concern because risk management tactics that adopt restrictive measures in isolation can only achieve short-term goals. However, when combined with desistance-focused strategies, longer-term change is facilitated. Desistance refers to the cessation of criminal behaviour, requiring both cognitive and behavioural change, alongside pro-social and structural support. Positive informal (e.g. family and friends) and formal (e.g. police) relationships are crucial in fostering successful desistance outcomes. But, because desistance is a meta-theory, integrating various psychological, social, and situational theories, its operationalisation is complex. To effectively address sexual reoffending, police professionals must maximise every opportunity to support the desistance process among people with sexual convictions. To this end, we introduce our Desistance Practice Framework, co-developed with police stakeholders and people with sexual convictions. We outline here our consultation process and present the theoretical foundations underpinning our model.

The number of people managed under MAPPA in England and Wales has risen significantly, creating new challenges for police supervising individuals with sexual convictions. Responding to calls for desistance-focused practices, this case study explores a co-produced project designed to support MOSOVO officers in adopting desistance-oriented approaches. Through participatory action research, police officers, people with lived experience, and academics collaborated to create three practical tools: a Desistance Practice Framework, a Desistance Management Plan, and Twelve Principles for Assisting Desistance. These were refined through stakeholder input and aim to help police support individual change, reduce reoffending, and manage growing caseloads more effectively. The principles provide a foundation for embedding desistance into policing, aligning risk management with rehabilitation and human rights.

Purpose In England and Wales, adult male registered sex offenders (RSOs) are risk assessed and managed using a tool known as the Active Risk Management System (ARMS); a risk assessment designed specifically for police management of RSOs and carried out by a specialist group of police officers known as Management of Violent or Sexual Offenders (MOSOVO) at the RSO’s home, known as ‘the home visit’. The purpose of this paper is to explore RSOs views of the home visit and risk assessment and to make recommendations to MOSOVO as to improve future home visit and risk assessment practice. Methodology This study aimed to examine a sample of adult male RSOs’ views of the risk assessment and home visit process. Three police forces in England and Wales agreed to facilitate sampling of 10 RSOs who varied in their level of risk - namely, low, medium, high and very high. Findings Three themes were developed from the analysis: Anxiety and shame; Perceptions of the first home visit; and The property search and observations. We discuss these experiences in light of the growing call for MOSOVOs to both manage risk and assist desistance and present recommendations for improving both the home visit and risk assessment practice. Originality To the authors knowledge, this is the first study to understand and explore RSOs views of the home visit and risk assessment process.

In UK, police officers are specially trained to become Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) officers. MOSOVO officers risk assess Registered Sex Offenders during home visits. We aimed to examine the MOSOVO training and home visits, and determine whether there is an alignment between training and practice. Three police forces in UK participated. Firstly, the MOSOVO training course was observed at each force. Secondly, MOSOVO officers in each force recorded home visits over a two-week period; the authors randomly selected 12 recordings for analysis. Field notes and transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were developed: unspecialised trainers lead to distrust and disengagement; the training does not prepare officers for all types of home visit; tensions between standard police policies and MOSOVO role; police suspicion of RSOs influences home visit implementation. We provide recommendations to improve MOSOVO training and the home visit process.

This report was a commissioned piece of work by Lancashire Youth Justice Board to develop a serious violence toolkit for young persons who engage in violent crime.