VT- Sex offenders not getting treatment

6-1-2009 Vermont:

BENNINGTON – Local officials have expressed concerns after learning that the Department of Corrections has not provided treatment for sex offenders living in local communities in Bennington and Rutland counties for several weeks because the contract to provide that service was broken.

Corrections Deputy Commissioner Lisa Menard said that while there was not currently a clinical provider under contract to treat sex offenders, regular meetings are still taking place. The meetings are run by experienced staff members from Probation and Parole who discuss subjects like risk factors.

Menard said the weekly meetings also provide another element of supervision.

Georgia Cumming, the department's program director for sex offenders, said she didn't know the exact date the previous contract was broken, but said it was earlier in May.

Cumming said a provider had been found and would take over starting Monday to provide full coverage for Rutland County, so sex offenders there will only have missed a few weeks of treatment.

But Corrections Commissioner Andrew Pallito said given the nature of the contract and the requirements for filling it, which include advertising the position and approving any prospective candidates, it could take as long as three months to find a replacement in Bennington County.

"That gap is being filled partially by the (Department of Corrections), but for treatment like this, you really need a licensed provider. Unfortunately, the state doesn't have the luxury of being able to afford to have any back-up providers," Pallito said.

Pallito said the department was committed to finding a new treatment provider and said there had already been some interest shown in the job after ads were placed in trade publications and the "electronic billboard."

Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he had already told Pallito that he was concerned and expected the position to be filled as soon as possible.

"The idea that parole officers are doing a little bit extra just doesn't cut it, given what we've been through in this state," he said.

As the primary investigator of sex crimes for the town, Bennington Police Detective Lawrence Cole said he understood sex offenders who had been returned to the community needed experienced support.

"Without the proper programming, I wonder if we're setting ourselves up to have people veer off the right side of the law," he said.

Several Bennington County officials said they were also concerned because they hadn't been notified by the Department of Corrections that sex offenders living in their community were not getting clinical treatment.

Bennington County State's Attorney Erica Marthage said her office, Cole, the Bennington County Special Victims Unit and other agencies had worked together to create a successful team that had attracted positive attention for its response to sex crimes. But she said part of the success had been the trust that all members of the team were doing their part.

"My office makes plea agreements all the time in cases that require sex offender treatment. The fact that we don't have someone doing that right now would have been good to know," she said.

Marthage said the former treatment provider had been a valued member of the team, and while she acknowledged the Department of Corrections did not have to consult with her before breaking the contract, it was "very distressing" that her office didn't learn of the decision until after the fact.

Sears said that as chairman of the Judiciary Committee he is in frequent contact with the Department of Corrections, but said he only learned about the change when he was contacted by the former treatment provider.

Bennington Town Manager Stuart Hurd said he was not surprised that the town government had not gotten notification.

"(The Department of Corrections) may believe that the situation is under control but I'm concerned that they just don't get it. They don't understand how a community feels. They don't understand how vulnerable a community feels," he said.

Hurd said the department's response was "poor communication at the least, arrogance at the worst."

Rutland City Police Detective Sgt. Kevin Stevens said on Friday he had not been notified about the lack of treatment but said he didn't believe it would have a direct impact on police. However, he said he did believe it raised some questions.

"Should (the local sex offenders) be put back in the (correctional) center? Because if they're not in treatment, than they are a greater risk," he said.

Pallito said it wouldn't have been a "high-level of notification" because he believed that local law enforcement agencies would have been aware of the change in treatment.

Menard said she could not discuss why the contract ended but said it was "not expected" rather than a contract that had not been renewed after it ended.

According to Cumming, the gap in treatment would not change a sex offender's length of probation. The average time in treatment is about two years, but because people move at their own pace through treatment, they wouldn't have to "make up for lost time."

The state is looking for someone who would have a master's level degree in a field like psychology or social work and someone who has experience working with sex offenders to fill the position in Bennington County. ..Source.. by PATRICK McARDLE STAFF WRITER