OH- Evaluation of Sex Offender Center Released

3-31-2009 Ohio:

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections released a report today on the controversial Pogue Center in Over-the-Rhine. The facility, operated by the Volunteers of America on McMicken Street, houses and treats sex offenders.

An executive review of the place was ordered after Anthony Kirkland was kicked out and later became a suspect in the murder of local teenager Esme Kenney.

The report says the center currently houses 82 offenders. The center is 94% compliant with state regulations. But it points out the Pogue Center has a huge problem with residents leaving without notifying staff and never returning. In fact, the DRC report says Pogue has an AWOL rate that is double of other halfway houses in Ohio. In the past year, the DRC says one-third of the offenders at the VOA were "terminated for being AWOL".

The report talks in length about Kirkland's stay at the Pogue Center. He was admitted on October 2, 2008 and put into the "New Life" program for sex offenders as well as drug and alcohol counseling. Kirkland apparently did not adjust well to the New Life program because he refused to admit he'd committed a crime. After an evaluation, which included a polygraph test, Kirkland was moved to the general corrections program on December 2, 2008.

After that, the report says Kirkland became increasingly agitated and was referred to treatment for bipolar disorder. He was put on medication which he stayed on for the duration of his residency. Kirkland was employed through a temp agency but staffers said his refusal to acknowledge his past crime meant he would likely be terminated from the program.

On February 27, Kirkland told staffers he was "jumped" by four other residents. As he was giving his statement to staffers, he reportedly punched another resident. Police were called but that resident refused to press charges against Kirkland. However, the staff decided to escort him from the premises, "due to the perceived threat he posed to the safety and security of the facility."

The center staff told the DRC they did not contact the Adult Parole Authority immediately because of an unwritten rule that the APA should not be called after-hours, on weekends or holidays. The DRC says that rule cannot be substantiated and that the rules regarding the contact of APA staff in the case of an eviction will need to be clarified.

The DRC also says the center is "not adequately completing aftercare plans with offenders" once they have completed their stay and are released into the general population. The state has appointed Deputy Director Linda Janes to oversee changes at the center and is asking for an update on progress no later than June 31st.

The Pogue center also came under fire after Marion "Timmy" Parker walked away from the facility in January. Police say Parker beat and strangled Shawn Davis of Covington a week later. He's also accused of killing a man in the Kenton County Detention Center on Sunday.

Several members of Cincinnati City Council have written Ohio's Governor, asking for the center to be closed. ..News Source.. by Local12.com