CENTER FOR SEX OFFENDER MANAGEMENT
The Effective Management of Juvenile Sex Offenders in the Community
A Training Curriculum

 A Project of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

 

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Section 5: Supervision
2 Hours

TOPIC: SUPERVISION

Part II: Developing Supervision Plans

Now that we’ve established an underlying framework for supervision, we’re going to consider some of the “nuts and bolts” of supervision. As is the case with any youth within the juvenile justice system, the effective supervision of juvenile sex offenders is contingent on the development of a formal case management or supervision plan. In many ways, it becomes the roadmap for the youth—and for the various professionals involved in working with the youth and his family. As such, a supervision or case management plan must be viewed as a fluid document that is modified over time in response to changes in a juvenile’s circumstances, newly identified needs and concerns, increases or decreases in level of risk, and progress, improvement, and goal attainment.

Key Considerations to Guide the Supervision Plan

As we’ve emphasized many times throughout this training, juvenile sex offenders are not just “sex offenders” and they are not all alike. Therefore, supervision plans must be both comprehensive and individualized—one size does not fit all! This requires that several key issues are considered when developing these plans:⁹

• First and foremost, the risk level and needs of the juvenile. As has been discussed, a great deal of information about these youth is likely to be included in the psychosexual and psychological evaluations, as well as in the pre–sentence investigation or pre–disposition report, prior treatment records, and other key documents. So officers need to review this material and ensure that they have a comprehensive understanding of the youth. In addition, there are some promising tools that supervision officers can use to help to develop a better understanding of the risk level that a youth poses and the needs that should be addressed through treatment interventions and other services. Remember, we want to develop individualized supervision strategies and intervention plans that are based on the specific level of risk that a youth poses and the specific needs that exist. For some youth, specific activities—such as certain employment or extra–curricular activities—may need to be restricted because it may increase risk for them, but those same kinds of activities may not be problematic for other youth. And based on the kinds of needs that they have, some youth may need different types of support and intervention than others.
• The presence of strengths and assets. We don’t want to limit how we think about these youth based only on problems or deficits. As we discussed earlier, focusing only on deficits or problems can impact a youth’s desire and motivation to invest in the change process. We need to think holistically about these youth and identify the strengths and assets that they have, and think about how we can build them into case management plans in a way that promotes healthy, stable, productive, and invested youth. For example, some youth are particularly good artists, some are good athletes, and some are good musicians. Think about how you could identify some specific positive goals or activities to include as part of a case management plan based on those or other kinds of strengths, assets, or interests.

What are some other strengths that might be helpful to consider when developing supervision or case management plans?

(ALLOW FOR AUDIENCE RESPONSES, THEN SUMMARIZE AND CONTINUE.)

• Environmental factors that may impact community stability (either positively or negatively) of the youth. Case management planning is not just about attending to individual factors within a youth. We know that delinquent behavior and sex offending behavior are influenced by multiple factors, including family issues, the quality of peer relationships, and school–related considerations.¹⁰ It is important to make sure that case management plans take into account any needs and strengths in those areas as well. For example, because associating with negative peers is a significant risk factor, it will be important to develop expectations and strategies that not only address negative peer association, but that also facilitate the development of positive peer relationships. From a strengths perspective, because having supportive parents is a protective factor, a good supervision plan will take into account ways to actively partner with those parents as a means of enhancing supervision efforts and promoting the success of the youth.
• Safety and other needs of victims and other vulnerable parties. And of course, case management plans must always take into account the needs, interests, and safety of victims. This is particularly critical and can be very challenging with intrafamilial or sibling–on–sibling cases, or in other circumstances when the victim and the juvenile offender are in the same home. In those instances, the case management plan must address whether the youthful offender can remain in the home or if an out–of–home placement is warranted. And if the youth is removed from the home, the case management plan will need to include family reunification considerations. In still other circumstances, the juvenile may have committed an offense against someone who attended the same school. This, too, is a critical issue to address in the case management plan. Depending upon a number of factors—not the least of which are the concerns and interests of the victim and the victim’s family—the case management or supervision plan will need to include specific safety planning, dedicated monitoring by school personnel, or even alternative educational arrangements for the juvenile offender. Working closely with victim advocates can be very helpful for ensuring that supervision and case management plans are responsive to these types of issues.¹¹

Standard and Specialized Conditions

As you begin to identify some of these key issues when developing a supervision or case management plan, the need to include certain restrictions or conditions will become apparent. As you know, youth who are under the authority of the juvenile courts or the juvenile justice system are generally expected to comply with a number of restrictions or expectations that provide structure and accountability.

Some common or standard examples of these conditions include the following:

• Curfew restrictions
• Drug testing
• Prohibitions against associating with delinquent peers
• School attendance requirements
• Reporting requirements
• Community service
• Restitution

Do you think that these types of conditions should be included as part of a formal supervision plan for juvenile sex offenders? Why or why not?

(ALLOW FOR AUDIENCE RESPONSES.)

Now, do you believe that these conditions are always sufficient for juvenile sex offenders? Why or why not?

(ALLOW FOR AUDIENCE RESPONSES.)

Because juvenile sex offenders are similar in a number of ways to other youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system, these types of standard conditions can in fact be relevant as part of a formal supervision plan. However, there are also some important differences that must be taken into account, such as the unique dynamics involved in sexual victimization and some of the risk factors and intervention needs that are specifically relevant for juvenile sex offenders. For example, their exposure to some types of situations may be more problematic and risky for them than for “general” juvenile delinquents.

Therefore, standard conditions by themselves may not provide sufficient scope or flexibility for officers to supervise, monitor, and support these youth effectively. As a result, it is often important to include specialized conditions as part of a supervision or case management plan for juveniles who have committed sex offenses.¹² Examples of specialized conditions include the following:

• Close monitoring of the Internet. As you know, there is a large amount of explicit material readily available on the Internet. It often requires only a keystroke, or a click or two of the mouse, to access it or be exposed to it. So this is an important specialized condition for a couple of reasons. First, exposure to pornography is believed to be a risk factor for juvenile sex offenders,¹³ so viewing sexually exploitive material may fuel inappropriate thoughts and fantasies, and can compromise the specialized treatment process. In addition, Internet chat rooms may provide opportunities for these youth to engage in inappropriate exchanges with others. Or, alternatively, they could be targeted by other abusive individuals.
  
  It is important to remember, however, that the Internet is a contemporary means of communicating and is a common way for youth to do schoolwork. So our goal shouldn’t be to prohibit its use by juvenile sex offenders altogether. Rather, it is important that professionals and parents recognize the potential risks, which can be minimized through certain limitations and close monitoring of its use.
  
  This specialized condition and some others we’ll talk about highlight the importance of educating parents and caregivers about—and engaging them in—the supervision process. How can a supervision officer possibly—on his or her own—monitor the Internet usage of all of the juveniles on their caseload? It’s not possible. And if a parent doesn’t understand the risks for their child, they likely won’t view it as particularly important or worthy of their attention. Therefore, officers must educate and work with parents or other responsible adults who can serve as their eyes and ears at home.

• Limits on television programming and video games, especially those with violent or sexual themes. It’s amazing how much sexually exploitive and violent material there is on television and in the video games that adolescents play. Setting limits is particularly important because we know that repeated exposure and desensitization to violence, and to hostile and demeaning attitudes and values—particularly toward women—also appears to be an important risk factor for these youth.¹⁴ Much like Internet restrictions, limiting the kinds of programming that these youth watch and the video games that they play requires the active involvement of parents or caregivers.
• Prior approval of extracurricular and employment activities. Keeping in mind that there some activities and jobs that may create unnecessary risks for some juvenile sex offenders, this condition can be very important as part of a supervision or case management plan. For example, it’s probably not a good idea for a youth who has sexually abused a young child to work as a babysitter or to have unsupervised contact with children in a daycare setting, is it?
  
  It is important to emphasize that considering a special condition such as this does not mean that juvenile sex offenders should be prohibited or discouraged from participating in positive, prosocial extracurricular or employment activities. Quite the contrary, in fact. In order to promote the success of these youth, supervision officers should make every effort to identify and support positive and productive activities, as engagement in them is an excellent way for them to spend their free time and affiliate with positive peers or adults. When these youth are engaged in positive, prosocial activities, the likelihood that they will engage in delinquent, inappropriate, or abusive behavior should be lessened. At the same time, however, supervision officers need to minimize exposure of these youth to known risky situations or circumstances, which not only increases their likelihood of being successful, but also contributes to public safety.

• Restrictions on unsupervised contact with victims and other vulnerable individuals. In order to protect the needs, interests, and safety of victims, prohibiting contact between sex offenders and victims is commonly imposed as a specialized condition of supervision.¹⁵ This can be challenging, however, when they live in the same neighborhood or attend the same school. And it can be even more difficult in intrafamilial cases, especially if they live in the same home. In these instances, the supervision officer, treatment provider, the victim therapist or advocate, and others involved in the case must work closely together to assure that the victim’s needs remain the paramount consideration, and that adequate safety plans are in place.¹⁶
  
  A common offshoot of this specialized condition for sex offenders involves prohibiting all unsupervised contact with minors. However, this may not always be realistic or even reasonable as a blanket prohibition for youthful sex offenders. After all, they are minors themselves, and their friends, classmates—and oftentimes their siblings—are minors. Certainly, as is the case with certain restrictions on employment or some extracurricular activities, the goal is to minimize risk and ensure the safety of others. The individual circumstances of the youth and family must be taken into account and, when warranted, contact with young children or others who may be vulnerable should in fact be supervised by an informed adult who is aware of the juvenile sex offender’s situation and risk factors.

• Follow all treatment recommendations. Given what we know about the efficacy of sex offense–specific treatment and other kinds of interventions, requiring these juveniles and their families to participate successfully in them can be a critical step in promoting community safety and success.¹⁷ In addition, keep in mind that rehabilitation–oriented approaches to supervision with youth yield much better outcomes than strategies that are only surveillance, monitoring, and punishment–focused.

These are among the examples of specialized conditions that may be useful to include in supervision plans for juvenile sex offenders. But remember, they are not all alike, so conditions should be imposed selectively, based on the individual youth and his circumstances. The recurring theme throughout this training is that one size doesn’t fit all—and this adage also applies to the use specialized conditions of supervision.