Probation Response to Child Sexual Abuse Offenders: How Is It Working? Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 122490
• Author(s): B E Smith; S W Hillenbrand; S R Goretsky
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): SJI-88-11J-E-015
• Sponsoring Agency: State Justice Institute
• Sale Source: American Bar Assoc
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Telephone and mail surveys of probation administrators and case studies of four sites gathered information on the supervision and monitoring of child sexual abusers who are sentenced to probation, the use of specialized caseloads for these offenders, problems associated with monitoring these offenders, offender treatment, and revocation issues.

Abstract

The case studies used interviews to gather detailed information from judges, probation officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, therapists, and victim advocates. Findings showed that officials view child sexual abuse probationers as requiring special attention. Most believed that these probationers should be handled by specialists with reduced caseloads and intensive training on child sexual abuse issues. However, limited resources often prevent such a specialized response. Results also indicated the need for close coordination between probation officers and treatment providers, the use of a variety of sentencing options, improved definition and documentation of successful and unsuccessful termination of probation and treatment, and further research on improved responses to these offenders. 6 references.