Introduction
Overview
Jurisdictions across the country recognize clearly that the effective management of sex offenders requires more than supervision and treatment. Indeed, the effective management of sex offenders demands the thoughtful integration of these and other management components and, perhaps as importantly, ongoing collaboration among those who are responsible for carrying out these activities. The Center for Sex Offender Management (CSOM) developed the Comprehensive Assessment Protocol: A Systemwide Review of Adult and Juvenile Sex Offender Management Strategies (CAP) to assist jurisdictions in the enhancement of their management approaches with this offender population. The CAP is a tool that, when used as designed, will guide its users through a deliberate and highly collaborative information-gathering and analysis process. It will identify with a high degree of specificity the strengths of a jurisdiction’s sex offender management approach and the steps that can be taken to further enhance and strengthen its system.
User’s Guide
Please refer to the User’s Guide above for more information about how multi-disciplinary sex offender management teams should use the CAP in conjunction with additional jurisdiction-specific information to assess sex offender management policies and practices.
Issues and Cautions for Users
The CAP provides teams with a method to assess the strengths of their policies and practices against the most contemporary research and emerging practice in the field. In this way it is a working tool for self–assessment purposes. It has not been developed for use as an audit, or a method to find fault with the approach a particular jurisdiction is using. The CAP was not developed to provide protection from legal challenges. Neither was the CAP conceived of as a quick and easy assessment of one particular aspect of sex offender management. Rather, it is one part of a long–term strategic planning process that will help jurisdictions make the most informed and data–driven decisions about how to enhance public safety and prevent further victimization by improving their sex offender management strategies.
The CAP describes five fundamental principles that represent the underpinnings of a “Comprehensive Approach” to adult and juvenile sex offender management. These principles are:
- Specialized knowledge and training;
- A victim–centered approach;
- Collaboration;
- Public education; and
- Monitoring and evaluation.
The Comprehensive Approach also highlights six key substantive areas of practice—or core components of a comprehensive sex offender management system. The CAP is organized around these core components:
- Investigation, Prosecution, and Disposition;
- Assessment;
- Supervision;
- Treatment;
- Reentry; and
- Registration and Community Notification.
In each section that pertains to these components, users will find:
- A narrative summary of the empirical research, other professional literature, and/or emerging practice relevant to adult and juvenile sex offender management. This information is provided as a foundation for teams conducting the CAP, to assure a common, well–grounded knowledge base among all members.
- A series of questions designed to assist jurisdictions to identify and understand their current policies and practices within each of the core components of sex offender management. These questions are separated into adult and juvenile categories, when applicable. The questions address both policy and practice issues, and ask teams to identify how commonly each set of practices is implemented in their jurisdiction (always or yes/typically/generally not/never or no). In some questions, only a “yes” or “no” response is appropriate, and “typically” or “generally not” answer options are not offered in these instances. Answers will point teams to those areas in which sex offender management practices are most—and least—consistent with the contemporary literature, and in turn, what their jurisdiction must address in order to improve its own practices.
- An extensive list of references, so that readers can seek additional information on sex offender management related topics.
References
This link will lead you to a comprehensive list of the publications referenced throughout this Website.
Questions
For more information or if you have questions about the CAP, please contact Leilah Gilligan at or 415–871–4006.