Supervision and Treatment

How Supervision Keeps the Community Safe

Criminals are among us; they are our neighbors, acquaintances, co-workers, friends and family. Many people violate the law, in many different ways. Many of us did so today, by speeding to work.

There are many different types of crimes and people commit crimes for many different reasons. As such, the resulting punishment for criminal activity spans a wide range of consequences. Some punishment involves jail or prison time, while other punishment does not. Almost all crime, however, results in some level of supervision once the offender is returned to the community.

The main goal of community supervision is to effect and maintain community safety.

Probation/Parole & Post-Prison Supervision

When a person goes to trial and is convicted of a crime, the judge has two options: (1) place the offender on probation, or (2) send the offender to prison. If sent to prison, the offender is either placed on parole or post-prison supervision when he/she is released.

Probation

Probation allows lower risk offenders to remain in the community, providing them with the opportunity to demonstrate that they have learned from their mistake and will no longer engage in criminal activity. If an offender fails to take advantage of this opportunity and violates their supervision conditions, they will be sanctioned by their Parole/Probation Officer and possibly removed from the community at that time.

Parole/Post-Prison Supervision

When an offender is released from a period of incarceration, parole/post-prison supervision allows them the opportunity to reintegrate into the community in a structured and contained manner. As with probation, however, if they choose to violate the conditions of their parole/post-prison supervision, they are sanctioned by their Parole/Probation Officer and held accountable for their actions.

At the time of release, the offender falls under the jurisdiction of the Board of Parole & Post-Prison Supervision.

Parole/Probation Officers

The job of Parole/Probation Officers is to monitor offenders and hold them accountable once they return to the community. They also provide structure and oversight for offenders after they are released from incarceration, and assist offenders in transitioning back into the community.

Parole/Probation Officers are invaluable and integral in maintaining safety in our communities. Each day Parole/Probation Officers intervene and stop potential criminal activity, simply through their daily management of offenders. And, for those offenders who truly want to change, the Parole/Probation Officer provides the resources and support for those individuals to develop into pro-social and productive members of society.

Conditions of Supervision

Offenders receive general conditions of supervision, whether on probation or parole/post-prison supervision. Special conditions of supervision can be added by the judge (in the case of probation) or the Parole Board (in the case of parole/post-prison supervision).

Most sex offenders receive special conditions of supervision specific to sex offender issues (e.g., no contact with children, participation in sex offender treatment, polygraph examinations).

Offender Management

In Oregon, community corrections is primarily managed at the county-level, with a few counties under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections. Whether county or state managed, the authority remains the same for all Parole/Probation Officers.

Parole/Probation Officers are sworn peace officers; meaning they receive similar training as law enforcement officers. Parole/Probation Officers have the authority to make arrests, and many are certified to carry firearms. And, while law enforcement officers make arrests for law violations, Parole/Probation Officers may arrest an offender for any violation of a condition of supervision in addition to law violations.

It is important to remember that sex offenders are people; some want to improve themselves and some do not. Due to this, Parole/Probation Officers always maintain a careful balance between community safety and the offender's individual needs; with community safety being the top priority.

How Treatment Keeps the Community Safe

Treatment has been shown to be an effective tool in preventing future victimization, is supported by research, reduces the likelihood that offenders will re-offend, and is financially beneficial.

Sex offender treatment providers provide the opportunity and structured environment for offenders to change their behavior. While many people may feel that sex offenders do not deserve the opportunity to improve themselves, without treatment many sex offenders will continue their abusive behavior. Each day sex offender treatment providers help hold offenders accountable, identify high risk behaviors, and assist offenders with behavioral change in order to stop sexual offending. As such, treatment is an invaluable and essential part of maintaining community safety.

The main goal of sex offender treatment is to effect and maintain community safety.

Sex Offender Treatment

Sex offender treatment is typically court-mandated (meaning that participation is not voluntary) and differs from traditional mental health treatment in a number of ways:

• If court-mandated, sex offender treatment participants are required to attend, whether they want to change their behavior or not.

• The treatment provider is a member of the management team and, as such, has two clients: (1) the community and (2) the individual. This also means that levels of confidentiality differ. As a member of the management team, the sex offender treatment provider will obtain a release of information from the client in order to discuss the treatment progress freely with the client's Probation/Parole Officer.

• As with community supervision, community safety and reduction of sexual crimes are top priorities for sex offender treatment. As such, there is ongoing collaboration with all members of the client's management team, in order to maintain community safety and intervene when a client is being deceptive or attempting to split the management team. Sex offender treatment obtains information from other sources, rather than just relying on what the client says, and puts more emphasis on behavior than self-report.

Sexual Offense Specific Treatment

It is important to keep in mind that there is no "one size fits all" model for effectively treating sex offenders. Given the wide range of differences in types of sexual offenses and sexual offenders, treatment must be designed to meet the specific needs of each offender.

Research has shown that sex offense specific treatment is effective and can reduce future sexual offending by 5 to 10%. While this number may not seem large, any reduction in re-offense rates can result in significant cost savings to taxpayers and, more importantly, fewer victims, greater community safety, and reduction in harm.

In 1990, the estimated cost per sex offense for offender-related and victim-related expenses totaled $183,333. And these estimates are over 15 years old.

In Oregon, sex offender treatment is guided by research and is primarily cognitive behavioral. Cognitive behavioral treatment is a therapeutic model which addresses the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and provides tools to intervene at these differing points in order to change behavior. In addition to the cognitive behavioral components of treatment, ongoing specialized sex offender assessment is often used, as well as medication to reduce sexual drive when appropriate.

Containment Model

The containment model is a collaborative approach involving a treatment team, which consists of the:

• Probation/Parole Officer
• Treatment Provider
• Polygraph Examiner
• other involved professionals

This model recognizes that the combination of comprehensive sex offender treatment and carefully structured and monitored behavioral supervision can assist many sex offenders to develop internal ways to control their behavior.

A coordinated system for the management and treatment of sex offenders "contains" the offender and enhances the safety of the community and the protection of victims.

Polygraph Testing

The polygraph examination, commonly known as the "lie detector" test, records certain physiological (i.e., heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, etc.) changes in an individual undergoing questioning in order to determine truth or deception. Polygraph testing is based upon a scientific theory that adheres to the idea that any conscious effort at deception by a rational individual causes involuntary and uncontrollable physiological responses.

There are three types of polygraph examinations used with sex offenders:

• the specific issue polygraph (addresses a single issue, such as whether or not someone committed a specific crime or engaged in a specific behavior),
• the full sexual history disclosure polygraph (addresses an offender's entire sexual history and assess whether or not someone has been honest about all offenses committed), and
• the maintenance polygraph (addresses an offender's compliance with supervision/treatment conditions in the community).

In Oregon, polygraph examinations are a standard requirement for sex offenders on probation or parole/post-prison supervision.

While many people argue about the validity of the polygraph, there is a substantial body of research which indicates that polygraph examinations are an invaluable tool in the treatment and management of sex offenders. When faced with a polygraph, many sex offenders will disclose high-risk behaviors, more victims and/or varying deviant behaviors. Research has also demonstrated that the use of polygraph examinations is associated with a reduction in re-offense rates.