Experts join forces for digital conference to help curb offending behaviour

An innovative conference designed to highlight best practice for curbing harmful behaviour has been hosted from Bath.

The Working with Sexual Risk – Therapy, Intervention and Solutions conference brought together professionals online from a range of sectors including law, law enforcement and therapy, all committed to helping keep people safe and help offenders stop harmful behaviour.

The event was organised by national law firm Stone King in conjunction with a number of key organisations including the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, Safer Lives and PA Consulting Group.

“The key aim of the conference was to bring together professionals who work and operate in this sector in order to share experience, collaborate with fellow professionals and learn from those in different organisations and with different perspectives,” said Matthew Graham, Head of Stone King’s Criminal Law Team.

“Unfortunately, lockdown has driven the virtual world still further into every household, and the proliferation of harmful sexual material online continues to be a source of very considerable concern.

“Tackling these risks calls for a multi-agency and indeed multi-national response.”

Mr Graham added that data has shown that there has been an increase in illegal imagery accessed online during lockdown, with the pandemic also meaning that some households were cut off from potential support.

One of the topics covered was a discussion of The Treatment Pathway, a process by which an offender in the criminal justice system who wants help can begin to address their offending behaviour at an early stage.

The pathway was devised after it became apparent that, for sex offenders who wish to address their behaviour, no state help is available until after conviction.

For more information please contact Matthew Graham.