Sex offenders, particularly those who offend against children, feature prominently in contemporary law and order debates. Child sexual abuse is a component of the broader category of 'gendered and sexualized violence' which causes significant trauma for victims yet continues to evade conventional approaches to justice. This is evidenced not only by the low number of prosecutions, due mostly to low levels of reporting and evidential difficulties at trial, but also by the failure of the justice system to prevent re-offending, largely due to the limited availability and effectiveness of prison...