NCJ Number
243153
Date Published
2011
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This chapter describes Massachusetts' hybrid containment model for the supervision of sex offenders in the community, a model advocated by the Center for Sex Offender Management in the mid-1990s.
Abstract
In February 1996, the Massachusetts Parole Board began a pilot community-based program called Intensive Parole for Sex Offenders (IPSO). Inaugurated in Framingham, the pilot program was staffed by two senior parole officers experienced in the supervision of adult offenders. These officers were assigned a special caseload of paroled sex offenders living in the Framingham area. Standards stricter than those for other types of parolees were developed and implemented. The officers developed close working relationship with two of the local sex offender treatment providers. Over the next few years, the IPSO added the services of specially trained polygraph examiners. The supervision team consists of a specially trained parole officer, a treatment provider, and a polygrapher. All members of the team are committed to sharing all that each observes and learns about the parolee's behavior and attitudes. The chapter details the job descriptions of each of the team members, i.e., the specialized parole officer (PO), the sex offender treatment provider, and the polygrapher. For the PO, the home investigation is vital. Persons living with the offender are instructed in the rules of supervision, so they can provide knowledgeable support. The treatment provider holds weekly sessions with the parolee, using a cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention model in group therapy. The polygraph examiners, who are also parole officers, are used to reveal any secretive parole violations. If the success of any sex offender management program is demonstrated by the absence of sexual reoffenses attributed to participants, the IPSO is arguably effective. Appended IPSO conditions