7-8-15 California:
SACRAMENTO (CN) - Thousands of foster children may have been exposed to sex offenders due to California's failure to verify addresses of registered sex offenders, the state auditor says.
A blistering audit, released July 2, revealed breakdowns in the state's Social Services Department, which may have allowed as many as 8,600 foster children to be placed near the workplace or home of a registered sex offender, due to a faulty method of cross-checking addresses.
The 31-page report also found that the state could save more than $100 million by paying private foster agencies the same rate as county agencies.
The audit found that for 21 months Social Services did address-comparisons on sex offenders who were recently registered or active and "incorrectly excluded" addresses from previous months.
Social Services failed to use the entire sex offender registry and may have unintentionally placed foster children in the same facility as sex offenders.
"This error could have prevented Social Services from promptly identifying registered sex offenders who may have been living or working in licensed facilities or foster homes during the 21 months in which it used this flawed methodology," said State Auditor Elaine Howle.
Howle's report was a follow-up to a 2011 audit in which she criticized Social Services for not using the sex offender registry. The follow-up report uncovered 216 cases of foster children coming into contact with sex offenders who lived, worked or were associated with foster care facilities between 2011 and 2014.
In one instance, a foster home caregiver knowingly allowed a registered sex offender to live in the facility while he was on parole. Investigation found that both the caregiver and the sex offender struck and abused one of the foster children.
The sex offender's parole officer let him stay at the facility because she thought the foster children were actually his. Three foster children were removed from the facility after investigation.
In a response letter to Howle, Social Services Director Will Lightbourne said his agency has improved its safeguards to protect children.
"The department developed comprehensive processes to ensure a consistent and thorough approach to evaluate and investigate addresses of RSOs [registered sex offenders] as matched against all state and county licensed facilities," Lightbourne wrote.
The audit credits Social Services with improving its address checking process, but says it failed to implement cost-saving recommendations from the 2011 audit, involving reimbursement rates for private caregivers.
The audit reiterated that private foster agencies receive considerably higher compensation rates than county foster homes and that the department could save $116 million over the next five years if it adjusts the pay structure.
Howle blasts the department for its decision to wait until 2017 to revise its rate structure.
"Social Services is causing counties to continue to pay rates that do not have adequate justification," the audit states.
Howle recommends that the state improve its mechanism to track and monitor addresses of registered sex offenders and require counties to give licensed foster homes higher priority over family-run foster homes. ..Source.. by NICK CAHILL
July 8, 2015
Auditor Blasts California Foster Care Agency
September 18, 2014
State audit: Police lax on sex-offender monitoring
What we see here is, a thousand registrants get haircuts, or let it grow, gain weight, or lose it, get married or divorced, get sick and go to hospital, visit grandma or grandpa, end up homeless, dress like a hippie, or any other thing affecting visual appearance and the whole darm system falls apart. Clearly this shows what a waste of taxpayer money this is, which ultimately shows no more than where folks sleep for a few hours of the day/night. Society has gone nuts electing fools to design these systems.9-18-2014 New York:
Some local police agencies failed to take immediate action to obtain updated photographs and enforce address verification requirements for sex offenders, an audit released Thursday found.
ALBANY – Some local police agencies failed to take immediate action to obtain updated photographs and enforce address verification requirements for sex offenders, an audit released Thursday found.
The audit, conducted by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office, evaluated compliance with the Sex Offender Registry Act for more than 3,600 moderate and high-risk sex offenders over a four-year period in 15 local police departments.
The departments reviewed included the cities of Rochester, Buffalo and Mount Vernon, Westchester County, as well as Broome and Ontario counties.
No Tompkins County law enforcement agencies were audited for the comptroller’s report.
In Tompkins County, 152 offenders are listed on the state registry. Those include 67 at level one, considered at low risk of repeat offense, 48 at moderate level, and 37 at a high level. ... ...
The audit contended that the departments did not immediately respond to the Division of Criminal Justice Services’ notifications to update records.
In 53 percent of the 322 cases reviews, 10 departments, including in Broome, Buffalo and Rochester, didn’t arrest offenders who failed to update their photos for the registry, DiNapoli said.
“The sex offender registry is designed to warn residents and local officials of possible threats in their community, but it only works if it is kept current,” DiNapoli said in a statement. “The failure to monitor even one sex offender could lead to serious consequences.”
In responses to the audit, conducted between January 2008 and January 2014, the departments said they’ve taken steps to improve their reporting methods and policies.
The audit said that the Rochester Police Department had one failure to respond to an annual address verification form for a level-2 sex offender for two years. It also had 42 outdated sexual offender photographs, the audit said.
“The Rochester Police Department accepts the audit findings,” Lt. Frank Umbrin, commanding officer of the department’s Major Crimes Unit, said in a letter to the comptroller’s office in response to the findings.
But he added that, “Without knowing specifics on the one failure to respond to annual address verification form and the 42 outdated sexual offender photographs, no explanations can be provided.”
Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli said in a statement Thursday: “We have received the report. Once we review it, we will comment on it.”
Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero responded to the comptroller that the department had two retirements in 2013 and the list wasn’t updated regularly.
“When these retirements took place this list was overlooked in the assigning of responsibilities. This issue has been corrected,” Povero wrote.
Broome County Sheriff David Harder said the department has improved its reporting policy.
“Due to constant changes in technology and trends, our written policy has not been made current to coincide with the manner in which we were managing our sex offender registry,” he wrote. “Those changes have since been made, and we can now continue to successfully manage our sex offender program.”
Auditors said Mount Vernon did not investigate why a level 3-sex offender, the highest-risk level, failed to verify his address for three consecutive years. Mount Vernon police did not respond to the audit, DiNapoli’s office said.
Departments had varying policies on reporting sex offenders whereabouts, and some didn’t met all the standards of the law, DiNapoli said.
Each year, the state mails non-forwarding address verification forms to each sex offender’s last reported address. The offender must sign and return the form within 10 days.
If the offender fails to report his address, the state Department of Correctional Services must notify local police.
Also, level 2 (moderate-risk) offenders must report to their local police department every three years to have a new photo taken. For level 3 (high-risk) offenders, it’s every year.
Because police agencies didn’t always follow up with those who flouted the law, the state’s registry is not accurate and up-to-date, DiNapoli sad.
The other sheriff’s offices audited included: Cayuga, Oneida, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Suffolk and Warren, and city police departments in Ogdensburg, Syracuse and Utica. ..Source.. by Denise Nickerson
October 1, 2012
Audit reveals offenders monitored after their deaths
10-1-2012 Tennessee:
An audit of the state board of parole found that annual arrest checks were completed on behalf of at least 82 parolees who had been dead, the comptroller announced Monday. In at least one case a parolee had been dead for more than 19 years.
At worst, officers documented contact indicating offenders were still alive, a news release said.
The audit also noted that many files managed by probation and parole officers were not in compliance with all board supervision requirements and were not regularly reviewed by management, according to a news release. In some cases, officers failed to complete or document their attempts to complete all of the required face-to-face contacts with parolees.
In other cases, officers did not perform required home visits of regular offenders, the release said. The audit also showed some sex offenders tracked by GPS equipment had not been properly monitored.
“Inadequate supervision of offenders results in increased public risks and jeopardizes public safety,” Comptroller Justin P. Wilson said in the release. “If parole officers are supervising dead people, this is a waste of taxpayer dollars and makes us wonder about the supervision of parolees living in our communities.”
Auditors also found a number of other issues with the board of parole’s operations, including questionable practices for providing notice of hearing decisions and upcoming board meetings. ..Source.. by The Tennessean
May 27, 2011
Auditor: Sex offender board didn't set up program
5-27-2011 Illinois:
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois board that was required by law to set up a program for monitoring sex offenders through evaluation, treatment and counseling has not done so after seven years, a report said Thursday.
Auditor General William Holland reported that the Sex Offender Management Board should have rules for tracking more than 10,000 registered sex offenders. They were first required in 2004 but there's no system yet and no timeline for establishing them.
The board's chairwoman says the board has been unable to do it because it has no authority over the Corrections Department or local probation systems which do the monitoring.
"That mandate has been an issue the board has struggled with since its inception because it lacks the tools you would need to have in order to meet that," Cara Smith said.
The Sex Offender Management Board was created in 1997 and has developed guidelines for treating and evaluating sex offenders and approves vendors that provide treatment and evaluation.
The audit results of the tracking and monitoring are supposed to be used by the board to determine the effectiveness of programs set up to treat those accused of sex crimes.
There are 10,039 sex offenders subject to such monitoring out of just under 25,000 registered sex offenders statewide, according to the Illinois State Police.
The board responded that it hasn't had staff members or money enough to develop the program.
The audit covered a two-year period ending June 30, 2010. Holland's last audit mentioned the lack of a program, too.
"All the law we passed about sex offenders don't mean anything," Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said Thursday on the House floor, demanding hearings into the matter.
Smith said the board is funded by a portion of the fee sex offenders pay to register. It receives administrative support from the attorney general's office and spent just $21,000 last year.
The board must work with lawmakers to try to redefine what its responsibilities should be in the area of monitoring progress, Smith said. ..Source.. by JOHN O'CONNOR
January 18, 2011
Corrections department needs to improve sex offender reporting
1-18-2011 Vermont:
MONTPELIER – State Auditor Tom Salmon, CPA, today released the results of an audit that looked at the caseloads of the Department of Corrections probation and parole officers who are designated to supervise sex offenders.
Recently adopted legislative provisions limit caseloads of the Department of Corrections’ (DOC) probation and parole officers (POs) assigned to supervise sex offenders to 45 cases with some exceptions. The legislature also required that the auditor look at Corrections’ sex offender PO caseloads.
The auditor said that offenders who commit sex crimes evoke concern and fear in communities. Because of the heightened concern and since sex offenders are frequently supervised in community settings, supervision of convicted sex offenders is an important public safety issue.
“The Legislature’s attention to caseloads among other aspects of DOC’s supervision of sex offenders reflects the concern of many in Vermont communities,” Salmon said.
Overall, the auditor’s office found that almost all of the POs supervising sex offenders had caseloads in accordance with the statutory requirements. One out of 29 of Correction’s designated sex offender POs had a caseload in excess of the statutory limit.
Although PO caseloads were largely found to be in accordance with the statutory requirements, the auditor’s office determined that the tools that DOC uses to monitor caseloads warrant attention. The reports used to identify active caseloads contained data errors and system anomalies. Some of the causes for the report inaccuracies were a lack of training in the DOC system for DOC personnel and the lack of procedures specifying the timing and process for updating offender records. Salmon also commented that DOC is hindered by an antiquated computer system.
The audit report’s recommendations emphasize actions that can be taken to ensure the availability of reliable reports for continuous monitoring of PO caseloads.
“I am confident that implementation of our audit recommendations will help DOC to improve monitoring of caseloads and accuracy of the information in its system, and will promote consistency in the assignment of sex offenders under community supervision to appropriate POs” said Salmon.
The auditor also noted that during the course of the audit DOC field personnel and central office staff were professional and cooperative.
DOC Commissioner Andrew Pallito said in a letter to the auditor’s office: “We are committed to ensuring that sex offender caseloads comply with statutory requirements.”
The report entitled “Sex Offender Supervision: Corrections’ Caseloads Were Largely in Accordance with Statutory Requirements, but Monitoring Tools Could Be Improved.”
The audit report released today by the Auditor’s Office is the second in a series of audits expected to be performed related to sex offenders and sexual abuse response issues. The first report, “Sex Offender Registry: Reliability Could Be Significantly Improved,” was issued in the summer 2010 and addressed the reliability of the state’s sex offender registry and made recommendations to the Department of Public Safety, Department of Corrections, and the Court Administrator. It is also available on the auditor’s web site. The auditor’s office expects to conduct a second audit of the registry once planned improvements are implemented. ..Source..
October 1, 2010
Audit finds sex offenders living in homes for state-protected children
A couple of problems with this audit, first, only ONE of the matching addresses was actually verified to be the home of a RSO; and second, they failed to check to see if the RSOs were juvenile RSOs placed in the foster settings. One other point, there was no check to see if the address of licensed care setting was current, they could have moved since their license was issued.10-1-2010 Kentucky:
A state audit released Thursday found 30 matches when comparing the addresses of Kentucky's registered sex offenders to the addresses of state-regulated child-care centers or homes.
In its response to state Auditor Crit Luallen, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services confirmed that sex offenders on Kentucky's registry lived in 12 of the 30 homes. The cabinet could not determine the residency status of eight sex offenders. And they found that 10 others were not living at the addresses identified, according to the audit.
Luallen's audit recommended that the cabinet start cross-checking the addresses of registered sex offenders with homes the state regulates.
Cabinet officials said Thursday they would immediately implement that procedure, checking at the time of application and when renewals or reassessments occur. Current procedures include criminal background checks for people participating in state-supported programs, but state law does not require cabinet officials to match the addresses with those on the sex-offender registry.
"The bottom line is that any time the state is responsible for the safety and security of children, we have to be sure that we are using every possible tool to guarantee that those children are secure," Luallen said in an interview Thursday.
Auditors twice compared the addresses — in June 2009 and in March 2010 — of registered sex offenders with the addresses of foster or adoptive homes, homes involved in kinship care — when relatives have temporary custody of a child — and in-home child-care providers who are registered by the state.
Children were not living at the majority of the homes at the same time as sex offenders, cabinet officials said in response to the audit.
If children were in homes with sex offenders, cabinet officials said, they took immediate action after seeing the audit.
As a result of the audit, two foster homes and seven in-home child-care providers have been closed, Department for Community Based Services Commissioner Patricia Wilson said in an interview Thursday.
Additionally, Wilson said the department took action involving two kinship-care homes. She would not discuss the specifics, citing confidentiality laws.
The cabinet has assured the well-being of all children in the cases, Wilson said.
"We do not believe that those children were harmed, and they are currently safe," she said.
Wilson said she could not say where the homes were located because of state and federal confidentiality laws.
The audit found that the Department for Community Based Services' initial response to the investigation's findings was deficient in determining whether a sex offender lived at a specific address. In every case but one, the state used food-stamp or driver's-license records instead of making home visits.
Although at least 21 of the 30 sex offenders with matched addresses were convicted of crimes against children under the age of 15, the initial cabinet review process did not include steps to make a definite determination whether the sex offender was or had been living at the matched addresses, the audit said.
"We had serious concerns about the cabinet's initial response," Luallen said Thursday. "During the first period of response over the last year or so, there were a number of the matches that were not followed up on ... . The cabinet felt that it was constrained in its existing legal authority. We thought they had the latitude to do more."
When the audit was reviewed at higher levels of management in the cabinet, the response was significant, and the end result has been positive, Luallen said.
The audit calls for stronger controls, such as a mandatory home visit by the state in cases when paperwork cannot determine whether a sex offender lives at an address. Since the audit, the cabinet has made home visits to all addresses matched in the audit, according to a news release from Luallen's office.
"The use of the sex offender registry will be a powerful additional aid to our staff to assure that sex offenders' whereabouts are known to assure that children are being cared for in safe settings," department commissioner Wilson said in her response to the audit.
Gov. Steve Beshear said in a statement issued by the cabinet that he was "grateful" for the audit.
"My administration is committed to keeping our children safe, and this tool will help us lead the nation in these efforts," Beshear said.
As a result of the audit, the cabinet is working with Kentucky State Police to identify ways to streamline the sex offender registry match process to make it easier to compare addresses, officials said Thursday.
Also, a flier advertising the availability of the sex offender registry will be provided to all parents who apply for and are approved for child-care subsidies.
The audit also found that the cabinet's address records for 3,266 regulated child-care providers did not indicate a physical location. Wilson said physical addresses were in other cabinet files and they knew where the children were, but the physical addresses might differ from mailing addresses and might not appear on databases.
Wilson said the cabinet would explore ways to ensure that physical addresses and mailing addresses are recorded for those receiving benefit payments.
..Source..
August 18, 2010
Auditor finds improvement in sex offender list but reports Mo. doesn't yet meet federal rules
8-18-2010 Missouri:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri has done a better job getting sex offenders to register, but still has work to do to comply with federal requirements.
Auditor Susan Montee found 7 percent of Missouri sex offenders had not complied with state registration requirements through March. A state audit in 2002 found that 36 percent of sex offenders did not comply. (Press Release -- Full Audit Report)
Montee released her audit of the sex offender registration program Wednesday. Generally, it found improvement from a review eight years ago. But the audit said Missouri — like most states — has not yet complied with federal sex offender requirements. Missouri's deadline is July 2011.
Missouri started its sex offender registry in 1995. Since then, it has been expanded to cover more offenses and provide additional information. ..Source.. fox4KC.com
August 15, 2010
Audit Blasts Sex Offender Registry
To maintain an address book w/pictures = $1.5 million dollars a year. Talk about waste....and they could do it on a PC purchased at Best Buy. Folks, think about this, if your home PC can search a data base thousands of miles away in seconds, purchase a book on Amazon, a Dress at JC Pennys -all online in seconds- why are they having so much trouble? OK, want to get it right? Penalize them, they must drop 500 registrants for every day they do not have it 100% correct. Get the point?8-15-2010 Georgia:
Georgia's independent auditing agency says, the state's sex offenders registry is systemically "outdated" and "does not fully meet the needs of law enforcement or the public."
The 58-page report prepared by the state Department of Audits and Accounts characterizes the sex offender registry as inefficient and error-prone.
John Bankhead, spokesman for Georgia Bureau of Investigations, which administers the database, says the report did not tell them anything they didn't already know.
Bankhead says, under-staffing and a lack of funds have become the main roadblocks in the way of a more effective sex offender registry.
"We knew that there needed to be improvements, but because of budget cuts, those pretty much can't be made,"
Bankhead says. "We I think the tax money used to perform this audit could have been better used to improve the sex offender registry."
According to Bankhead, the improvements to the database could cost upward of $400,000 dollars.
This report did not residency restrictions or other enforcement issues relating to constitutionality of the registry outside of operational effectiveness.
The registry began in 1996 and this year will list 19,000 names.
Over 8,000,000 people search the database every year. ..Source.. Jenny M. Dunn
August 7, 2010
Georgia’s sex offender registry a mess, state auditors say
Huummm, if they can't get the basics right, what the chance that it is secure? How many hackers have gotten into the system?8-7-2010 Georgia:
Georgia’s sex offender registries are inaccurate, outdated and incomplete, potentially misleading the public about the threat of offenders living or working in their communities, state auditors say.
An outdated and inflexible computer system is the cause of many of the troubles, State Auditor Russell W. Hinton said in a report released Wednesday (PDF). The system “is not easily adapted,” so it doesn’t contain all the information that the state’s 11,000-plus registered offenders must report and does not easily accept data transfers from state prisons and other agencies that often have more up-to-date information, the report says.
Auditors also found:
•The state’s 159 sheriffs, required by Georgia law to maintain their own separate registries, often have information that conflicts with and is more current than the statewide registry kept by the GBI.
•The registry has inadequate controls to check the accuracy of the information once it’s entered.
•Data is not updated in a timely manner, particularly descriptions and photos
•Data entry errors abound, including incorrect street addresses and cities that many people use to search for offenders in their communities.
•The state’s online registry, used for 8 million searches a year, reports where offenders reside but not where they attend school or work, information the law also requires the offenders to report.
Auditors also observed that the state registry is missing “contextual information important to the public’s perception of risk.” What’s missing? It doesn’t inform the public “that most sex crimes are committed by acquaintances of their victims, not unknown registered sex offenders.”
GBI officials agreed with many of the auditors’ findings but cited funding and staffing as major obstacles to improving the registry. ..Source.. JIM WALLS
