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Project Overview With the enactment of state and local provisions dictating that sexual offenders are restricted from residing within so many feet of a school, park or day care center, etc., many sexual offenders are being forced to move to or set up residence in rural areas. In most urban areas, housing that is in compliance with these restrictions simply may not be available. Sexual offenders require specialized community supervision and treatment, and their presence in and movement to rural areas poses many challenges for the community corrections agencies that are given the task of supervising and monitoring them. Probation and parole officers in rural communities face myriad challenges in supervising these offenders, including lack of treatment alternatives, limitations on resources such as electronic monitoring or GPS systems, a dearth of available polygraph examiners, expansive jurisdictions that limit frequent contact with an offender, and lack of training for rural probation and parole officers on innovative approaches to supervising their offenders given the aforementioned challenges. For example, offense-specific specialized caseloads are currently being identified as a promising approach to effective probation/parole supervision of offenders. However, for rural agencies, that often employ substantially fewer probation and parole officers, specialized caseloads are not a tangible reality. Consequently, rural probation and parole officers must be trained to effectively supervise a variety of probationers and parolees, especially those that specialized supervision techniques are recommended, such as in the community supervision of sexual offenders. The Council of State Governments/American Probation & Parole Association has been awarded a grant by the Bureau of Justice Assistance to provide three audio teleconferences/webcasts on the Supervision of Sex Offenders in Rural Jurisdictions. These teleconferences/webcasts will provide probation and parole officers with important information on how to effectively manage and supervise sex offenders in their communities, as well as the opportunity to share their experiences and learn from other rural communities nationwide. >> Access the recorded Audio Teleconference/Webcast Presentations For more information, please contact: |
