CO- Probation over jail for sex offenders

2-23-2008 Colorado:

It was a sentence that many felt was too light. A Canon City man, who sexually assaulted 2 little girls, was given just 6 months in jail. Instead of a lengthy jail term, Darren Brady was sentenced to a lifetime of probation.

After Brady's sentencing yesterday, the question became, Is probation, over jail, an easy out for sexual predators? Can they really be trusted in the community? We got some answers today.

It seemed like a slap on the wrist. Darren Brady plead guilty to molesting two little girls. He was only sentenced to 6 months in jail. When he's free, he'll spend the rest of his life under supervised probation. We spoke with Richard Allen, one of the victim's grandfather, after the sentencing. He said, "It's been proven time, and time, again that treatment doesn't do sex offenders any good."

Scot Smith disagrees. He oversees the probation officers in El Paso county, who watch over these sexual predators when they're released from jail. He says, "Yes, they can learn techniques to avoid re-offending, and they can make these choices not to re-offend again."

Smith says the treatment for sex offenders sentenced to the intensive lifetime probation is not easyt. Terms of probation include routine polygraph, therapy several times a week, and computer monitoring. He says, "Obviously, they are not incarcerated, and there is a difference of being in the community, under supervision. But, again, the supervision is very intense, very personal."

This form of treatment over jail is the trend in Colorado. Last year, 195 sex offenders were given lifetime probation. Compare that to just 1 person handed that sentence when it started in 1998. Smith says, "People who are sent to this type of probation, are sent on a case, by case basis. Can they be safely monitored? Can we manage their risk from day one, and equip them with the tools to never re-offend?"

The Sex Offender Management Board that created this treatment program told us that, since 2000, only 1 person under the lifetime probation sentence has committed another sex offense.

..more.. by KOAA.com