NCJ Number
167760
Date Published
1997
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The program used by Maricopa County (Ariz.) probation officers to manage sex offenders in the community in the Phoenix area has been cited by the National Institute of Justice as a model program due to its progressive and comprehensive components.
Abstract
The passage of the lifetime probation law in the State in 1987 made necessary the development of an intensive and creative approach to the short-term and long-term community supervision of sex offenders. Trained probation officers monitor sex offenders for years and incarcerate them if they begin to display warning signs of recidivism. These officers work closely with therapists and even provide psychoeducational classes to offenders and their families. They also use the most modern technologies available, including both the polygraph and phallometric assessments. Their efforts to supervise the sex offender population effectively have resulted in reduced rates of reoffending and demonstrate the effectiveness of strict monitoring by educated and specialized probation and parole personnel. 12 references