Department of Corrections, Human Services, Public Safety and Health, St. Paul, Minnesota (February 2005): CSOM provided a media consultant to conduct at one and a half day training. The first day provided media and communication training, including presentations on effective communication and live interviews with participants to assist in enhancing their skills in communicating with the media. The second day was focused on the development of an interagency sex offender management communications plan.
Minnesota Department of Corrections (September 2004 – present):
In January 2005, CSOM staff spent one-and-a-half days with the Director of Corrections for Minnesota, along with key management staff (approximately 12 people in total, who are responsible for management of the state's adult and juvenile institutions, parole and probation supervision, behavioral and mental health services, civil commitment review process, victim services, adult and juvenile assessment, release and hearings processes, and the community notification unit) to discuss in detail best practices in sex offender management, strengths and gaps in Minnesota, and the development of a strategic plan to enhance sex offender management statewide in Minnesota.
In December 2004, CSOM staff and a CSOM consultant spent one week in Minnesota reviewing components of the state’s sex offender management system. The team met with institutional and community corrections staff, adult and juvenile treatment providers, and members of the state’s End of Confinement Review Committee, among others. At the conclusion of the visit, CSOM staff made a presentation to Department of Corrections staff in an effort to provide them with some insight about how various components of their approach might be strengthened.
In September 2004, CSOM staff conducted a site visit to assess the Department’s technical assistance needs in the formation of a statewide, Blue Ribbon task force on sex offender management.
Mankato Sex Offender Task Force (September 2001): Provided two staff members to facilitate a two-day strategic planning session for approximately 20 participants to develop the goals, objectives, and a method for a regional plan for managing adult sex offenders.
Minnesota Department of Corrections (April 2000): Conducted a site visit to assist the department with articulating their needs associated with sex offender treatment.
Minnesota State Senate Crime Prevention Committee (January 2000): Analyzed current sex offender management programs and initiatives; made recommendations regarding the state’s approach to sex offender management.
Mankato Area Sex Offender Task Force, Minnesota (August 1999): CSOM provided support to enable two task force members to attend the CSOM training at the 1999 Summer APPA Training Institute.
Training:
Designed and conducted a substantive training session for the Bemidji District, Minnesota (FY03 OJP Grant Site) on the topic of sex offender management, including the specific topics of assessment, treatment, supervision, and reentry in April 2006 (104 participants).
Provided a keynote address at the first meeting of Olmsted County, Minnesota's Sex Offender Management Advisory Board and facilitated a full day retreat of the sex offender management team to define a vision, mission, and goals for the team’s work together, January 2003 (40 participants).
Convened a training regarding key aspects of sex offender management for Court Services staff, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, treatment providers, victim advocates, polygraph examiners, and others in Stillwater, Minnesota, April 2002 (100 participants).
Provided a consultant to develop and deliver two risk assessment training sessions for Project Pathfinder, April 2001 (45 participants).
Provided information about CSOM resources and provided guidance regarding the development of a strategic plan to enhance sex offender management practices around the state to a multidisciplinary audience, March 2001 (25 participants).
Supported meeting costs for an intensive training on sex offender management for the Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers, January 2001.
Provided two consultants to conduct a training on sex offender management and to assist participants through a strategic planning session at the request of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, October 2000 (20 participants).
Provided two consultants to deliver a training on the role of the polygraph in managing sex offenders in the community at the request of the Minnesota Department of Corrections to polygraph examiners and corrections staff, September 1998 (50 participants).
Resource Site:
Dodge, Fillmore, and Olmsted County's Sex Offender Unit provides specialized and comprehensive evaluation, supervision, and treatment services for adult and juvenile sex offenders, victims, family members, and communities. The unit has used an institutionalized approach to the collaborative case management of sex offenders for over seventeen years. Victim safety has long been a top priority, and Victim Service representatives serve critical roles as members of the case management team, as well as the Community Notification Committee and other partnerships.
OJP Grant Sites:
2003: The Minnesota Department of Corrections, Bemidji District Office seeks to assess and enhance its existing system of sex offender management in a nine-county region of Northwestern Minnesota. These rural counties cover 13,465 square miles and hold 2.7% (129,228) of the state's total population. As of June 1, 2002, there were 357 adult sex offenders and adolescent sex offenders on probation and a total of 651 registered sex offenders in the region. Over the last three years, the region has developed and sustained a strong collaborative team of individuals representing a variety of agencies and disciplines concerned with the effective management of sex offenders. As a previous Office of Justice Programs grantee, the Bemidji team has met bimonthly since January 2001, and has made progress in identifying gaps in the system of sex offender management and in implementing effective strategies to fill these gaps. The Bemidji collaborative team is conducting a thorough system assessment and pursuing system change, and is committed to following through with and implementing the strategies identified through the process. Grant funds are being used to conduct this assessment and will be used to implement necessary changes to address system needs.
2000: The Minnesota Department of Corrections utilized an implementation/enhancement grant to provide expanded supervision and treatment resources for adult and juvenile sex offenders in a nine-county region in northwestern Minnesota. This region spans 13,000 square miles and had a 2000 population of approximately 129,000. As of mid-2000, there were 155 adult and 44 juvenile sex offenders under correctional supervision. Funds from the grant were used to hire a grant coordinator/project researcher, purchase additional treatment and polygraph services, support transportation costs for project staff to travel across counties, and purchase electronic equipment to make off-site offender contact possible.
