Beyond public protection: an examination of community protection and public health approaches to high-risk offenders

Public protection has become a key theme of much recent criminal justice legislation and policy aimed at the effective management of high-risk offenders. In this article we draw on two recent research projects to examine the two main approaches to public protection: the community protection model, and the public health approach. Drawing on the recent work of Pat O'Malley we examine the underpinning assumptions of each 'risk technology' and how each constructs notions of both offenders and the public in their approach to risk regulation. The article concludes by arguing that each differs significantly in the extent to which they either include or exclude high-risk offenders (particularly sex offenders), and in their expectations of public responsibility for risk management.