Navigating life with a sexual conviction: ‘Anticipatory disclosure’ and the impact of living in a perpetual biopsychological state of fight or flight

The ‘pains’ of navigating life with a criminal record are well documented by Nugent and Schinkel (2016) with issues of goal failure, hopelessness and isolation known for stifling (act; identity; and relational) desistance. However, having a sexual conviction can further hamper desistance efforts due to the stigmatising nature of the crime type (Cubellis et al., 2019; Shackley et al., 2014). Given the many restrictions placed upon people with a sexual conviction there are a number of reasons, and occasions, in which an individual may have to, or feel propelled to, disclose their criminal record. The continual nature of this can mean that individuals live in a perpetual state of anticipating disclosure (see: Teague, 2022). This heightened state of being can have a profound physiological impact on the body, and of equal importance, the psychological and mental health of the individual which can have negative and unintended behavioural consequences. There is an absence of understanding around the personal and societal impacts of the perpetual nature of anticipating disclosure on the individual and their ability to live a ‘good life’ (Ward and Stewart 2003) in the community. Whilst organisations, such as Unlock, do much good work to support individuals with the process of disclosure, there is both a lack of understanding and critique in both practice and academic communities on the impacts of this perpetual state of being which disproportionately impacts people with a sexual conviction. This chapter seeks to (i) conceptually outline and explore the notion of ‘anticipatory disclosure’ and its relationship with the fight/flight biopsychological response; (ii) critique the societal context and legislative landscape which has bred the conditions for the existence of (i); and (iii) offer evidence-informed policy and practice-based recommendations, informed by public criminology, to support the minimisation of harm.