The experiences of non-offending partners of individuals who have committed sexual offences: Recommendations for practitioners and stakeholders

The non-offending partners (NOPs) of individuals who have committed sexual offences experience significant repercussions following the discovery of their partners’ crimes (Serin, 2018). However, there is a scarcity of research investigating NOPs’ experiences (Rapp, 2011). Initial research into NOPs focused on mothers whose children had been abused in cases of father–daughter incest (Cahalane & Duff, 2018), and NOPs were frequently held responsible for their partners’ sexual transgressions (Azzopardi et al., 2018). These early mother blaming narratives within academia have since been replaced by a focus on what role NOPs can play in facilitating desistance and preventing sexual crimes (Shannon et al., 2013).