Background

It is estimated that in the United States today there are over 265,000 convicted sex offenders under the jurisdiction of corrections agencies, with more than one half under some form of community supervision. Given these numbers, the individuals and agencies responsible for managing these offenders must have ready access to the most current knowledge and effective practices in the field of sex offender supervision. Courts, corrections agencies, and treatment providers around the country have demonstrated that with careful supervision and control, combined with effective treatment interventions, they can manage sex offenders and increase public safety. Others can draw upon these experiences, and create similar results in their own communities, if provided the opportunity to learn about and observe effective supervision strategies for these challenging offenders.

The National Summit: Promoting Public Safety Through the Effective Management of Sex Offenders

In November 1996, the Office of Justice Programs convened the National Summit: Promoting Public Safety Through the Effective Management of Sex Offenders in the Community. The Summit sought input from over 180 practitioners, academic researchers, and other experts regarding the most effective management strategies for this challenging offender population. Participants were also asked about the information, training, and other needs of their colleagues as they work together to make America's communities safer. OJP, NIC, and SJI created the Center for Sex Offender Management in response to the participants' recommendations.

The Office of Justice Programs, the National Institute of Corrections, and the State Justice Institute Have Entered into a Collaborative Agreement to Create the Center for Sex Offender Management

Recognizing these needs, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), and the State Justice Institute (SJI) have established the Center for Sex Offender Management, a national project to support local jurisdictions in the effective management of sex offenders under community supervision. NIC and SJI have joined OJP in the management of the project and are devoting additional resources to support corrections professionals and the judiciary as they address this critical issue within their specific arenas. The project is being administered through an interagency agreement among OJP, NIC and SJI; and a cooperative agreement between OJP and the Center for Effective Public Policy, in collaboration with the American Probation and Parole Association.

Goals of the Center for Sex Offender Management

• CSOM's primary goal is to enhance public safety by preventing further victimization through improving the management of sex offenders who are in the community.

• Second, to provide ready access to the most current knowledge and effective practices to those responsible for managing sex offenders by synthesizing and disseminating knowledge and practices to the field.

• Third, to capture the lessons from communities around the country who have demonstrated -- through collaboration between criminal justice and health system agencies -- that they can manage sex offenders and increase public safety, and to disseminate those lessons so that others might learn from them.

• Fourth, to provide the opportunity for other jurisdictions to draw upon these experiences, enhance their own practices, and create similar results in their communities, by offering a variety of technical assistance opportunities to agencies and jurisdictions.

These goals are carried out through four primary activity areas. These are:

1. The Information Exchange Component
2. The Intensive Training Component
3. The Technical Assistance Component
4. The Resource Sites Component
5. Support to OJP's Grant Sites