The Effective Management of Juvenile Sex Offenders in the Community

1. The Effective Management of Juvenile Sex Offenders in the Community Section 5: Supervision

2. Goals • Define “success-oriented” philosophy and approach • Explain how to begin to develop comprehensive and individualized supervision plans • Highlight specific strategies used for supervising juvenile sex offenders • Outline ways in which multidisciplinary collaboration can enhance supervision efforts Section 5

3. A Success-Oriented Philosophy and Approach

4. Recent Emphasis of Supervision • Surveillance • Monitoring compliance • Deterrence • Sanctioning Section 5

5. Effectiveness of “Get Tough” Strategies poorer outcomes better outcomes (Aos et al., 2001; Lipsey & Wilson, 1998) Section 5

6. A Balanced Supervision Approach • Beyond surveillance, monitoring, deterrence, and sanctioning • Emphasizes rehabilitation • Successful, productive youth translates into safer communities Section 5

7. Effectiveness of Rehabilitation and Success-Focused Strategies poorer outcomes better outcomes (Aos et al., 2001; Lipsey & Wilson, 1998) Section 5

8. What Does It Mean to “Focus on Success?” • Ensure that youth meet expectations • Hold youth accountable for behaviors • Collaborate with others to improve functioning and promote stability of youth Section 5

9. Potential Collaborative Partners • Treatment providers • Parents and/or caregivers • Victim advocates • School personnel • Youth mentors • Faith community members • Community volunteers • Employers Section 5

10. Implications for Supervision Officers • Case management role • Ongoing communication with providers • Actively support youth in treatment • Become familiar with “what works” and how it works Section 5

11. Developing Supervision Plans Section 5

12. Supervision Case Plans • Guided by • Risk and needs • Strengths and assets • Environmental factors • Needs of victims and vulnerable parties Section 5

13. Standard Supervision Conditions • Curfew restrictions • Drug testing • Prohibitions against associations with delinquent peers • School attendance • Reporting requirements • Community service • Restitution Section 5

14. Specialized Conditions • Internet or computer restrictions • Limits on TV programming and video games • Prior approval of extracurricular and employment activities • Restrictions on contact with victims or other vulnerable individuals • Follow all treatment recommendations Section 5

15. Examples of Approach Goals • Participate in prosocial recreational and leisure activities • Achieve and maintain positive school adjustment • Establish positive peer groups • Secure appropriate employment Section 5

16. Collaboration Enhances Supervision Planning • Access key information from multiple sources • Cover all bases • Increased awareness of changes over time Section 5

17. Matching Supervision Intensity with Level of Risk and Needs Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice Supervision Matrix Section 5

18. High, Moderate, or Low Risk? • Structured determination based on • Interviews of and information from the juvenile, family/caregivers, and others • Review of written information collected • Department of Juvenile Justice risk assessment tool • J-SOAP-II and CANS-SD results • Psychosexual and psychological evaluations • Sex Offender Risk Checklist Section 5

19. Accompanying Contact Requirements • Level 5 • 3 or more face-to-face contacts per week • Level 4 • 2 or more face-to-face contacts per week • Level 3 • 1 or more face-to-face contacts per week • Level 2 • 1 or more face-to-face contacts every other week • Level 1 • 1 or more face-to-face contacts per month Section 5

20. Supervision Strategies Section 5

21. Community Support Networks • Serve as role models • Engage juveniles in positive social interactions and activities • Provide positive reinforcement • Help youth to use skills learned in treatment • Monitor and respond to high risk behaviors and situations • Communicate openly with supervision officers about progress and problems Section 5

22. Challenges with Involving Parents • Feeling overwhelmed by “the system” • Multiple, confusing, duplicative expectations • History of negative encounters with the system • Professionals’ assumptions about and responses to families • Stigma associated with sex offending • Less than ideal family dynamics • Having to “choose” one child over another Section 5

23. Tips for Engaging Parents • Be patient • Educate • Normalize denial and resistance • Process the contributors to denial and resistance • Provide information • Identify common ground and common goals • Offer education classes and support groups – or make referrals to them Section 5

24. Initial Contacts in the Office Setting • Establish a positive rapport • Review all paperwork • Make referrals to appropriate providers • Allow time for questions Section 5

25. Ongoing Contacts in the Office Setting • Identify other community support network members • Review and modify the case plan • Discuss management of risk factors and lapses • Inquire about successes • Check in about treatment progress • Verify information provided by others Section 5

26. Conducting Home Visits • Observe family member interactions • Evaluate environmental risk factors • Consider access to victims and vulnerable individuals • Review safety plans • “Check in” with parents/caregivers and others about all spheres of youth’s life • School and homework • Peers • Compliance with curfew • Recreation and leisure • Behavior Section 5

27. Working with the Schools • Policy-driven approach • Specialized training • Inclusion of school personnel as community support network members • Individualized school management plans Section 5

28. Benefits of Specialized Caseloads • Youth supervised by experienced and knowledgeable officers • Consistent and informed policies, procedures, and practices • Tend to be smaller • Positive working relationships between officers and treatment providers • Increased officer knowledge about local programs and resources Section 5

29. Challenges of Specialized Caseloads • Can cause problems or burdens for others (e.g., larger general caseloads) • Not always practical • Risk of burnout and secondary trauma • Difficulties identifying willing and competent staff Section 5

30. Resources • Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) • www.atsa.com • National Adolescent Perpetrators Network (NAPN) • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) • www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov • National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) • www.ncjfcj.org • Center for Sex Offender Management (CSOM) • www.csom.org • National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth (NCSBY) • www.ncsby.org Section 5

31. Use of the Polygraph in Supervision • Recognize limitations and controversies • Limit to stable youth over the age of 14 • Informed consent • Not a “silver bullet” Section 5

32. Factors to Consider when Responding to Violations • Seriousness of the behavior • Risk level • Degree to which community safety was jeopardized • Whether the juvenile disclosed his behavior Section 5

33. Factors to Consider (Continued) • How much responsibility the youth is taking • Family considerations • Level of awareness • Willingness to support • Presence of assets and services in the community Section 5

34. Responding to Violations • Taking steps to prevent them is more effective than responding after the fact • Individualization is critical • The more options the better • Intermediate sanctions should become progressively more severe for ongoing non-compliance Section 5

35. Responding to Violations (Continued) • Don’t ignore problems • Get to the bottom of a violation before responding • Ensure that juveniles are aware of the consequences • Empower officers to take immediate and appropriate action • Written guidelines can be helpful • Collaboration is key Section 5

36. Summary

37. Key Points • Success as means of public safety • Comprehensive, individualized, and fluid supervision plans • Specialized strategies • Multidisciplinary collaboration Section 5