NCJ Number
176907
Date Published
1998
Length
81 pages
Annotation
This is an interim process-evaluation report for the Cook County (Illinois) Adult Sex Offender Program (ASOP), the first specialized intensive supervision probation program for sex offenders in Illinois.
Abstract
The ASOP unit is modeled after the containment approach, which emphasizes three central features of specialized sex offender units: intensive surveillance, with importance given to field searches and verification of the information provided by sex offenders; cognitive-behavioral treatment; and effective and frequent communication between probation officers and treatment providers. This interim evaluation report covers the first year of a 3-year evaluation of the ASOP. The evaluation to date indicates that, after a slow start, the ASOP is finally up and running and beginning to accept cases at a more accelerated rate. The evaluation found that many of the ASOP policies have been effectively implemented, but some policies have not yet been fully realized. The ASOP unit received excellent training, and its staff is dedicated to learning more about the supervision of sex offenders. Treatment assignment was logically, carefully, and appropriately performed. The unit also has requested a drug test for most ASOP defendants and has met its established standards for office contacts. The most significant area that needs improvement is the number of field searches performed. More than half of the probationers did not receive one field search per month across the 8 months that were sampled. Four key issues must be addressed in the near future: reaching the standards set for field searches, clarifying the role of the Advisory Committee, clarifying the duties of the Unit Supervisor and Deputy Chief, consistently submitting statistical reports on the unit's performance, and creating uniform written guidelines about the graduated sanctions that will be used to respond to noncompliance with treatment rules. 12 tables and appended program forms