Criminal justice responses to child sexual abuse material offending: a systematic review and evidence and gap map

Abstract

In the Australian context, accessing, possessing, producing or distributing sexually abusive images of children is a federal and state offence. Our review will examine the following research questions:1. How effective are criminal justice responses to CEM offending when implemented by: • policing agencies & practitioners;• judicial agencies & practitioners;• correctional agencies & practitioners;• multiple agencies in addition to at least one criminal justice agency.2.Does the effectiveness of criminal justice responses to CEM vary according to the type of intervention, geographical location, research design & outcome measures used in evaluation studies?3.Which interventions, outcomes, geographical locations & criminal justice sectors have been rigorously evaluated & where are the evidence gaps?