CA- Psychiatrists and psychologists well paid because of Jessica's Law

9-9-2008 California:

Tougher sex offender laws have turned into a major payday for psychologists and psychiatrists in the state. Documents uncovered by the LA Times reveal the state is paying some medical professionals close to a million dollars or more to perform sex offender evaluations. A Bakersfield psychologist is among the state's highest paid.

A few months ago, 17 News reported on how local sex offenders are evaluated and put into therapy programs in Bakersfield. Now we learn how profitable it has come for many private psychiatrists and pyschologists.

The state's highest paid evaluator made close to $1.2 million last year in payments from the state. The Times reports that Bakersfield Psychologist, Michael Musacco also made the top ten list at more than $800,000.

Musacco works out of an office on California Ave. He says the state is scaling back. This year, he did only a fraction of the sex offender evaluations.

It all goes back to Jessica's Law, which voters passed in 2006. The law required thousands of additional sex offenders be evaluated for potential hospitalization after being released from prison.

The state mental health department calls this a crisis, saying it went from fifty sex offenders needing to be evaluated each month to 750.

"Certainly, I think more money was spent last year than was necessary because of the Jessica's law thing," said Musacco. He added that Jessica's Law uses resources that could go elsewhere, like treatment.

Other therapists say the law lumps offenders together regardless of the severity of their crime and places unproven restrictions on where offenders can live. "If you are going to make laws, make them for something that works, not fear," said Sex Offender Therapist Carol Atkinson in an April 7 interview. ..News Source.. by KGET.com