Alaska cut its prison SO Treatment in 2003, when it had a very low recidivism rate. Then recidivism rates rose, and finally in 2010 they have again budgeted to include prison SO Treatment, obviously because of the difference in recidivism rates. When will lawmakers understand, that they are supposed to do, whatever it takes to save one child? AND NOT, whatever it takes to save one child -if we have the money-.3-12-2010 Oklahoma:
OKLAHOMA CITY -- State prisons are eliminating treatment programs for sex offenders, forcing convicted criminals to seek treatment on their own. Specifically, 20-year-old Ashton Tyler, who pleaded "no contest," Wednesday in Major County to rape by instrumentation of his 9-year-old adopted sister. The judge gave him two years in prison and ordered Tyler to complete a treatment program.
Last month, Tyler's family was given suspended sentences for child abuse and assault and battery.
Ashton admitted to investigators he raped one of five young girls the family adopted from Liberia.
Department of Corrections officials say with only a two-year prison sentence, there's a chance Tyler would not have received sex offender treatment behind bars.
However, he may have at least been prepared for therapy through a prison education program.
But even that's now impossible; the Dept. of Corrections announced last month they're canceling the sex offender rehab program due to budget cuts.
Dr. Richard Kishur helped design the original sex offender treatment program for DOC two decades ago.
"We're (now) letting people out of prison, basically, that don't have the skills to function," he says.
Did the program really help reduce the number of repeat offenders? Kishur says according to district attorneys across the state, the answer is yes.
"One of the questions I typically ask is how many guys who have been convicted, who have had high quality treatment and finished treatment, have re-offended?" Kishur says. "Have you prosecuted for a new offense? The answer is usually zero."
DOC spokesman Jerry Massie says within this fiscal year, they've had to take in 800 additional inmates while slashing their budget $48 million.
So the odds are against Tyler receiving any reinstated treatment during his incarceration.
"If he has a two-year sentence, I don't see our budget improving in the next two years to any great degree," Massie says.
Tyler and his probation officer will have to eventually find treatment for him, which he'll pay for himself.
Dr. Kishur says the state could save money if they only used rehab resources for inmates who are "especially dangerous."
That could be accomplished, he says, if better risk assessment was used in the court system.
Massie says many of the programs DOC kept were funded by grant money. ..Source.. Ed Doney, KFOR
2 comments:
This isn't so bad for Mr. Tyler. Two years isn't a very long sentence, and since he's probably recieving some time-served, he'd be out before really got started. But for those people who have some serious time to do, this is a devestating action. Without SO Programming, they have no chance when stepping before the parole board. This is literally insuring that they will complete their entire sentence before getting out of prison.
I'd be curious as to what other programs were cut due to budgetary concerns.
The entire system is poorly run.. I spent 5 years in prison on a sex offense and I can tell you the sex-offender programs have a serious flaw which is inmates are in a life threatening situation while incarcerated so they are protective and cant.... be honest about there crime which is necessasary to do a sex program. They need to make it possible for sex offenders to go to a half way house / work center a year before being released this will lessen there danger burden and allow them to get the counseling they need before re-entry as of now the system is an offender is likely to go from a very high security facility directly to the streets. Not progreesing them out is a bad idea making it even harder for them to adjust to life. People say they dont want them going to a lower security facilty but they fail to grasp the guy living next door just left a med / max pen and is now next door thats even worse in my opinion. And to the previous comment sex - offenders dont usually make paroll i didnt and i had no write ups and 120 hours of college. if that wont get it nothing will.
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