A cautionary tale: The Sex Offenders Act 1997, the police and cautions

The Sex Offenders Act 1997 includes a provision for the creation of a register which will record all persons convicted or cautioned for a sex offence. This provision gives new importance to the ''caution'' as an alternative to prosecution and to the current guidelines on cautioning provided by the Home Office. An examination of official data for 1978 to 1995 shows that the cautioning rate for sexual offences has fallen dramatically since 1993, well beyond changes in rates for other offence categories. Consideration is given to the additional turbulence in the cautioning rate likely to be generated by the registration of sex offenders; the need for new guidance is suggested.