An examination of the risk management of high-risk sex offenders under a section 810.1 or 810.2 order in British Columbia, Canada

Recognizance orders obtained under Sections 810.1 (sexual offences against children) and 810.2 (serious personal injury offence) of the Criminal Code have been increasingly used to supervise warrant-expiry sex offenders in the community. However, the challenges of supervising these offenders remain virtually uncanvassed in the literature. This study seeks to address that gap by examining the challenges associated with the risk management of sex offenders under 810 orders in British Columbia. Qualitative data from seventeen interviews with criminal justice practitioners involved in the case management of these offenders were analyzed. Content analysis revealed that sex offenders under 810 orders are multi-risk, multi-needs, and require multi-interventions, which are often inadequately resourced or inaccessible in the community. The general unavailability of resources to address their multi-needs creates constraints on case management and reintegration. A difficult reintegration process may destabilize their risk factors, creating high-risk situations to reoffend. Implications of these findings are discussed.