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| Sex-offender programs are underfunded, auditor's report says |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 01/31/2005 |
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Minnesota's community-based sex-offender treatment programs are underfunded, inadequately regulated and not property evaluated, the legislative auditor's office reported last Tuesday. In a report to the Legislature, the auditor also said local corrections officials want more sex offenders to participate in prison-based treatment programs before they are released. Budget constraints have limited the use of halfway houses for newly released prisoners, the report said, even though community corrections leaders think such facilities should be a central part of efforts to protect the public from sex offenders. One strength of Minnesota's approach, the report said, is that parole officers who specialize in sex offenders supervise most of the state's adult offenders. But it said those agents' caseloads are heavier than intended. And while the state's Intensive Supervised Release program allows for close surveillance of the highest-risk offenders after they get out of prison, most offenders get much more limited scrutiny, usually with few home visits by their parole officers, the report said. "Except for the limited number of offenders on 'intensive' supervision, home visits are a relatively infrequent part of sex offender supervision," the report concluded. The report recommended that the Legislature consider more spending on community-based sex-offender programs, requiring corrections agencies to tell child-protection agencies before allowing sex offenders to live with children, and requiring the Corrections Department to collect more information on the participation in, and outcomes of, sex-offender treatment programs. In compiling the report, the legislative auditor's office focused on correctional supervision, looking at two main issues: Whether there's adequate supervision, treatment and transitional housing for sex offenders in the community who are under the Department of Corrections' supervision. Whether there's sufficient policy coordination and oversight at the state level of sex offender supervision and treatment. In response, Corrections Commissioner Joan Fabian said in a letter that the report corroborates her view that improvements and innovations in supervising sex offenders depend on the availability of resources. The study did not evaluate the civil commitment process for sex offenders deemed to be too dangerous to release after they finish their prison sentences. It also did not look at the state's community notification and sex offender registration processes or at the effectiveness of individual treatment programs. |
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This article exposed what it is like to exist in today’s correctional institutions. I enjoy reading articles like this one and articles from author Hamilton Lindley who is an expert at persuasion, influence and leadership from his Waco, Texas base. There are a lot of important lessons to be learned here for sure. Thank you for the insight.
This article exposed what it is like to exist in today’s correctional institutions. I enjoy reading articles like this one and articles from author Hamilton Lindley who is an expert at persuasion, influence and leadership from his Waco, Texas base. There are a lot of important lessons to be learned here for sure. Thank you for the insight.
The study did not evaluate the civil commitment process for sex offenders deemed to be too dangerous to release after they finish their prison sentences. It also did not look at the state's community notification and sex offender registration processes or at the effectiveness of individual treatment programs, agreed with you. Cheap Flights Islamabad to Karachi