RT Article
T1 ‘It’s ok if you were in for robbery or murder, but sex offending, that’s a no no’: a qualitative analysis of the experiences of 12 men with sexual convictions seeking employment
JF Psychology, crime & law
VO 29
IS 6
SP 653
OP 676
A1 Tovey, Laura
A2 Winder, Belinda
A2 Blagden, Nicholas
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1852047364
AB It is widely accepted that individuals with convictions are disadvantaged when trying to access the job market. People convicted of sexual offences face further prejudice and stigma given the nature of the most extreme examples of their offences. Desiring employment but being unable to secure it presents challenges for the individual. This study focused on the real and perceived barriers that twelve British men experienced while seeking employment with a criminal record pertaining to a sexual offence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with interview data analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Two superordinate themes emerged. Stigma as a Barrier to Employment explored the impact of the disclosure of the sexual criminal record at interview and the enduring stigmatisation the participants faced as a result of the ‘sex offender’ identity. In the second theme, Autonomy and Control, participants sought to explain the personal significance of being employed, and how their inability to secure employment had resulted in the loss of autonomy and the introduction of self-isolating behaviours. Finally, they acknowledged having felt ‘better off’ in prison at times, due to the lasting effects of social exclusion. The implications of the research are discussed further.
K1 Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
K1 Reoffending
K1 Re-entry
K1 Employment
K1 Sexual convictions
DO 10.1080/1068316X.2022.2030736