Member

I will concede that there is a danger of getting into fairly fine semantic distinctions here, but to me at least, “characteristics” are things that are intrinsic to the offender, while “circumstances” are the situations in which offenders find themselves. The two are not the same. For example, being pregnant, addicted, a primary carer, or a victim of abuse, grooming or modern slavery could all be sensibly described as personal circumstances, but disabilities or life-altering permanent injuries feel more like characteristics.