Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

All Outputs (78)

Restorative justice in cases of sexual violence: Current and future directions in the UK (2024)
Journal Article
Gavin, P., Kite, C., Porter, C., McCartan, K., & Cawley, P. (in press). Restorative justice in cases of sexual violence: Current and future directions in the UK. Contemporary Justice Review, https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2024.2330375

Restorative justice seeks to repair the harm caused by crime by bringing together victims, offenders, and affected parties in a facilitated dialogue. Restorative justice is often viewed negatively in relation to cases of sexual violence, due to fears... Read More about Restorative justice in cases of sexual violence: Current and future directions in the UK.

Reviewing the evidence on sibling sexual behaviour: Impact on research, policy and practice (2024)
Journal Article
Mccartan, K. F., King-Hill, S., & Allardyce, S. (2024). Reviewing the evidence on sibling sexual behaviour: Impact on research, policy and practice. Current Psychiatry Reports, 26, 37–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01487-3

This paper reviews recent research into sibling sexual behaviour (SSB). This is an emerging professional and community issue that binds together a limited evidence base across research, practice and policy in psychology, criminology, politics, social... Read More about Reviewing the evidence on sibling sexual behaviour: Impact on research, policy and practice.

Sekundärprävention der Nutzung von Kindesmissbrauchsabbildungen im Internet: Ein internationaler Überblicksversuch (2023)
Journal Article
Merdian, H. L., Allardyce, S., DeBoeck, M., Gannon, C., Janssen, E., Klapilova, K., …Lehmann, R. (2023). Sekundärprävention der Nutzung von Kindesmissbrauchsabbildungen im Internet: Ein internationaler Überblicksversuch. Forensische Psychiatrie, Psychologie, Kriminologie, 17(4), 377-388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11757-023-00796-2

Prevention of the consumption of online child sexual exploitation material presents society with ahost of new challenges and is apriority of the European Union (EU). Alongside the identification and prosecution of individuals who use child sexual exp... Read More about Sekundärprävention der Nutzung von Kindesmissbrauchsabbildungen im Internet: Ein internationaler Überblicksversuch.

Sibling sexual abuse: A form of family dysfunction as opposed to individualised behaviour (2023)
Journal Article
McCartan, K., King-Hill, S., & Gilsenan, A. (2023). Sibling sexual abuse: A form of family dysfunction as opposed to individualised behaviour. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 29(3), 427-439. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600.2023.2258928

This paper presents a reconsideration and more in-depth discussion part of some the findings of the Home Office funded Sibling Sexual Abuse (SSA) project (King-Hill et al, 2023). The focus of the paper on the role of family systems, especially dysfun... Read More about Sibling sexual abuse: A form of family dysfunction as opposed to individualised behaviour.

Professional responses to sibling sexual abuse (2023)
Journal Article
King-Hill, S., Gilsenan, A., & McCartan, K. (2023). Professional responses to sibling sexual abuse. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 29(3), 359-373. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600.2023.2241482

Professional confidence and knowledge are essential in effectively responding to sibling sexual abuse (SSA). If professionals do not have knowledge of the area and confidence in their skills to deliver effective support, then there could be negative... Read More about Professional responses to sibling sexual abuse.

Female undergraduates playing it 'safe' to stay 'safe': Further understanding sexual violence against women (2022)
Journal Article
Bovill, H., McCartan, K., & Waller, R. (2022). Female undergraduates playing it 'safe' to stay 'safe': Further understanding sexual violence against women. Journal of International Women's Studies, 23(1),

Women’s safety from sexual violence whilst at university is a global issue and the UK is no exception. Whilst the authors of this paper acknowledge that sexual violence can occur across the gender spectrum, most sexual violence ‘victims’ are women an... Read More about Female undergraduates playing it 'safe' to stay 'safe': Further understanding sexual violence against women.

Incorporating quaternary prevention: Understanding the full scope of public health practices in sexual abuse prevention (2021)
Journal Article
McCartan, K., & Kemshall, H. (2023). Incorporating quaternary prevention: Understanding the full scope of public health practices in sexual abuse prevention. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 67(2–3), 224–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211049204

This discussion piece argues for a refinement in our understanding of prevention in sexual abuse, suggesting that we include quaternary prevention on the grounds that this concept from medical literature has potential and helpful application to crimi... Read More about Incorporating quaternary prevention: Understanding the full scope of public health practices in sexual abuse prevention.

The potential role of recovery capital in stopping sexual offending: Lessons from circles of support and accountability to enrich practice (2020)
Journal Article
Mccartan, K., & Kemshall, H. (2020). The potential role of recovery capital in stopping sexual offending: Lessons from circles of support and accountability to enrich practice. Irish Probation Journal, 17, 87-106

The rehabilitation and reintegration of people who have committed sexual offences presents significant challenges. Current research and practice on desistance from offending behaviour discusses a harm reduction journey that is more multifaceted than... Read More about The potential role of recovery capital in stopping sexual offending: Lessons from circles of support and accountability to enrich practice.

Professionals’ understandings of and attitudes to the prevention of sexual abuse: An international exploratory study (2020)
Journal Article
McCartan, K., Uzieblo, K., & Smid, W. J. (2021). Professionals’ understandings of and attitudes to the prevention of sexual abuse: An international exploratory study. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 65(8), 815-831. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624x20919706

Sexual abuse is a global issue and, therefore, responding to and preventing sexual abuse are global challenges. Although we have examples of and evidence for sexual abuse prevention initiatives internationally, these tend to come from a small, select... Read More about Professionals’ understandings of and attitudes to the prevention of sexual abuse: An international exploratory study.

Toward redemption: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men’s narratives of desistance from sexual offending (2020)
Journal Article
Richards, K., Death, J., & McCartan, K. (2020). Toward redemption: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men’s narratives of desistance from sexual offending. Victims and Offenders, 15(6), 810-833. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2020.1754311

The literature on desistance from crime shows that desisters often engage in a process of rebiographing, crafting life stories–or “redemption scripts”–that make sense of their move away from crime. However, this literature has largely excluded nonwhi... Read More about Toward redemption: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men’s narratives of desistance from sexual offending.

Discussing atypical sexual harassment as a controversial issue in bystander programmes: One UK campus study (2019)
Journal Article
Bovill, H., Waller, R., & McCartan, K. (2019). Discussing atypical sexual harassment as a controversial issue in bystander programmes: One UK campus study. Sexuality and Culture, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-019-09682-8

This research emanates from an anti-sexual violence bystander programme delivered at an English university. Fifteen students were identified through purposive and convenience sampling to take part in focus groups. Discussions emerged regarding atypic... Read More about Discussing atypical sexual harassment as a controversial issue in bystander programmes: One UK campus study.

Seen and not heard: The service user’s experience through the justice system of individuals convicted of sexual offenses (2019)
Journal Article
McCartan, K. F., Harris, D. A., & Prescott, D. S. (2021). Seen and not heard: The service user’s experience through the justice system of individuals convicted of sexual offenses. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 65(12), 1299-1315. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X19851671

User experience and client satisfaction is capturing more attention in the field of social services. The provision of treatment services to individuals convicted of sexual offenses, in particular, has expanded exponentially over the last 20 years. Th... Read More about Seen and not heard: The service user’s experience through the justice system of individuals convicted of sexual offenses.

Risk, discretion, accountability and control: Police perceptions of sex offender risk management policy in England and Wales (2019)
Journal Article
Hoggett, J., McCartan, K., & O’Sullivan, J. (2020). Risk, discretion, accountability and control: Police perceptions of sex offender risk management policy in England and Wales. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 20(4), 433-450. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895819839747

© The Author(s) 2019. This article argues that understanding current approaches to sex offender risk management and its operationalization must account for front line situational decision-making practices and the culture from which they develop and o... Read More about Risk, discretion, accountability and control: Police perceptions of sex offender risk management policy in England and Wales.

Risk assessment and management of individuals convicted of a sexual offence in the UK (2018)
Journal Article
McCartan, K., Hoggett, J., & Kemshall, H. (2018). Risk assessment and management of individuals convicted of a sexual offence in the UK

The UK has seen changes in sexual abuse policy and practice over the last 10 – 15 years that have been driven by austerity, risk management, public protection and the socio-political climate; these changes have been problematic and challenging as wel... Read More about Risk assessment and management of individuals convicted of a sexual offence in the UK.

Risk assessment and management of perpetrators of sexual abuse in New Zealand (2018)
Journal Article
McCartan, K., & Laws, M. (2018). Risk assessment and management of perpetrators of sexual abuse in New Zealand

New Zealand has seen changes in sexual abuse policy and practice over the last 10 – 15 years that have been driven by social factors, political and policy decisions as well as risk management concerns. The changes to the prevention, assessment and ma... Read More about Risk assessment and management of perpetrators of sexual abuse in New Zealand.

Public Views About Reintegrating Child Sex Offenders via Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA): A Qualitative Analysis (2018)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & McCartan, K. (2018). Public Views About Reintegrating Child Sex Offenders via Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA): A Qualitative Analysis. Deviant Behavior, 39(3), 400-416. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639625.2017.1304800

© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) have recently become part of the criminal justice landscape. However, little has been documented on public views about COSA. The existing research on this topic is ent... Read More about Public Views About Reintegrating Child Sex Offenders via Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA): A Qualitative Analysis.

Police officer attitudes to the practicalities of the sex offenders’ register, ViSOR and Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure Scheme in England and Wales (2017)
Journal Article
McCartan, K., Hoggett, J., & O'Sullivan, J. (2018). Police officer attitudes to the practicalities of the sex offenders’ register, ViSOR and Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure Scheme in England and Wales. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 24(1), 37-50. https://doi.org/10.1080/13552600.2017.1411641

© 2017 National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers. This paper examines police officer understandings of and attitudes to the sex offenders’ register, Violent and Sex Offenders’ Register (ViSOR) and Child Sexual Offender Disclosure Scheme(CSOD... Read More about Police officer attitudes to the practicalities of the sex offenders’ register, ViSOR and Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure Scheme in England and Wales.

Purported false allegations of rape, child abuse and non-sexual violence: Nature, characteristics and implications (2017)
Journal Article
Rumney, P., & McCartan, K. (2017). Purported false allegations of rape, child abuse and non-sexual violence: Nature, characteristics and implications. Journal of Criminal Law, 81(6), 497-520. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022018317746789

The subject of false rape allegations is shrouded in anxiety, confusion and misunderstanding. Despite a growing body of quality research, there continue to be significant gaps in our knowledge about the topic, including the phenomenon of false allega... Read More about Purported false allegations of rape, child abuse and non-sexual violence: Nature, characteristics and implications.