Sexual Offences
The Sex Offenders Act 1997
This document is published for archival/historical purposes. It will not be updated.
The Sex Offenders Act 1997 was brought into force in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland on 1 September 1997.
Part I of the Act imposes a requirement on certain sex offenders to notify the police of their name(s) and address and any changes to these details in order to ensure that the information on sex offenders contained within the police national computer is kept fully up to date
The purpose of Part II of the Act is to give United Kingdom courts jurisdiction to deal with those who commit certain sexual acts against children abroad.
Home Office Circular
Home Office Circular 39/1997, issued on 1 September 1997 to the Courts, police, prisons, probation and health services and draws attention to the provisions of the Act and is available from the Home Office Website.
Home Office Circular 20/2001, issued on 1 June 2001, details further updates to the legislation, including sex offender registration and foreign travel notification by a registered sex offender.
Further information
Available from:
Home Office
Sentencing & Offences Unit
50 Queen Anne’s Gate
London SW1H 9AT
Tel: 0207 273 4138
Last update: Friday, September 05, 2008