Achieving the right balance between rehabilitation and public safety under the new sex offenders record scheme in Hong Kong

Amid a maelstrom of international debate, Hong Kong SAR introduced its Sexual Conviction Record Check Scheme (SCRCS) designed to protect children from sexual predators. The SCRCS has a low impact as it is voluntary, excludes large categories of sexual offenses and applies only to certain high-risk professions. Many foreign jurisdictions have employed far more comprehensive initiatives and justified them on the basis of public safety. This article critiques the SCRCS under the lens of the best practices model of Australia, England and Wales and the United States. It explores the balance between public safety and rehabilitation of offenders adopted in those jurisdictions in order to gain insight for proposed changes in Hong Kong.