CRS January 2018 Prepared By
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A Report of Findings per 16-11.7-109(2) C.R.S. January 2018 Prepared By: Kelly Hume Chris Lobanov-Rostovsky Office of Domestic Violence and Sex Offender Management Chris Lobanov-Rostovsky, Sex Offender Management Unit Administrator Division of Criminal Justice Joe Thome, Director Colorado Department of Public Safety Stan Hilkey, Executive Director 1 Table of Contents Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................ 1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 7 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 Background of the Sex Offender Management Board ............................................................................. 7 Report Organization .................................................................................................................................. 9 Section 1: Research and Evidence Based Practices ................................................... 10 Co-occurrence of sex offenses and domestic violence ........................................................................... 10 Child Sexual Abuse Images ...................................................................................................................... 13 Sexual Assault Against College Students ................................................................................................ 17 Cognitive Distortions ............................................................................................................................... 20 Section 2: Relevant Policy Issues and Recommendations ............................................ 23 Juvenile Sexting ....................................................................................................................................... 23 Registration of Juveniles Who Have Committed Sexual Offenses .......................................................... 26 SORN ....................................................................................................................................................... 31 Section 3: Milestones and Achievements ............................................................... 34 Overview of 2017 Accomplishments ...................................................................................................... 34 Policy Updates......................................................................................................................................... 37 Current Availability of Providers ............................................................................................................. 39 Additional year end accomplishments ................................................................................................... 41 Section 4: Future Goals and Directions................................................................. 44 References ................................................................................................. 47 Appendices ................................................................................................. 51 Appendix A. Committee Updates ........................................................................................................... 51 Appendix B. School Safety Resource Center Sexting Fact Sheet ............................................................ 59 Appendix C. Sexually Violent Predator Assessment Screening Instrument ............................................ 60 Appendix D. Changes to Section 6.000 ................................................................................................... 69 Appendix F. Sex Offender Management Board White Paper on the Research, Implications and Recommendations Regarding Registration and Notification of Juveniles Who Have Committed Sexual Offenses .................................................................................................................................................. 78 i Executive Summary Pursuant to Section 16-11.7-109 (2), Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S), this annual report presents findings from an examination by the Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) of best practices for the treatment and management of adult sex offenders and juveniles who have committed sexual offenses. To identify the most current research- and evidence-based practices to date within the field of sex offender treatment and management, the SOMB conducted a series of literature reviews in support of ongoing committee work and the development of this report. Section 1: Research and Evidence-Based Practices Within the field of sexual offender treatment and management, the interest in evidence-based practice is increasing. Establishing the degree to which provided services are effective is an essential part in improving public policies aimed at reducing the risk for future sexual re-offense by identified adult sex offenders and juveniles who have committed sexual offenses. Co-Occurrence of Sex Offenses and Domestic Violence Offenses: The co-occurrence of sexual offending and domestic violence offending by one offender has not been studied in great detail. More attention is being drawn to this subject as treatment providers are finding more instances of this event. Research estimates that intimate partner sexual abuse rates range from 40% and 75% (Schafran, 2010). Alternately, women who experience rape by their spouse are likely to also be victims of severe physical violence, threats of violence, and the use of weapons (Bergen, 2006). There are many similarities between risk factors for both sexual abuse and physical abuse in intimate partner and domestic violence, suggesting a thinner veil between the two behaviors than previously thought. Research that has been conducted on the topic typically focuses on marital rape, intimate partner violence (not necessarily in domestic relationships), and juvenile intimate partner violence. Identifying this co-occurrence will allow for more appropriate treatment and supervision by addressing both of these problematic behaviors, instead of just focusing on one offense type. Child Sexual Abuse Images and Contact Offending: The increasing capability of mass communication through the internet has amplified availability and demand for child pornography (Henshaw, Ogloff, & Clough, 2017). Once the images are shared online, there is no means to remove them, leading to potential life-long re-traumatization of the victim (Bazelon, 2013). The term “child pornography” has traditionally been used to describe photographs, videos, and other forms of media depicting minor children engaged in sexually explicit activities or poses. More recently, clinicians, victim advocates, and other social service professionals have moved toward the term “child sexual abuse images” since it more clearly captures the traumatization and continuous victimization of the children depicted (U.S. Department of Justice, 2017). Most research has focused on offenders who use child sexual abuse images but have no known contact sexual offenses (e.g., sexual assault of a child), and those who are “mixed offenders” with both online and contact offenses. In these studies, several commonalities and some differences were identified between online-only offenders and 1 offenders who commit both online and contact offenses, suggesting that these are two distinct types of offenders. Since no causal relationship between viewing of child sexual abuse images and contact offending has been established, it is difficult to empirically substantiate if the use of child sexual abuse images is itself a risk factor for contact offending (Henshaw et al., 2017). Accurate occurrence rates are difficult to measure because these offenses often go unreported. Existing research estimates that between 55% and 85% of known online offenders also committed unreported contact offenses, according to self-report during sex offense specific treatment (Bourke & Hernandez, 2009; Seto, Hanson, & Babchishin, 2011). It is unknown, however, if the contact offense typically occurs before, during, or after the online offending. Knowing more about this subject and incorporating emerging research will allow for better risk assessment of offenders and ideally, prevention of future victimization. Sexual Assaults Against College Students: Sexual assaults where college students are the victims differ from other types of sexual assaults because it involves not only the victim and offender, but also secondary education institutions who are tasked with handling such situations. In 2014, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) published a report on rape and sexual assault among college-aged females between 1997 and 2013 that estimated a rate of rape and sexual assault of females in college was approximately 6 per 1,000 (Langton & Sinozich, 2014). Another study found approximately 21% of female students and 7% of male students reporting being victims of completed sexual assault since beginning college (Krebs, Lindquist, Berzofsky, Shook-Sa, Peterson, Planty, … Stroop, 2016). Rates of sexual assault can vary depending on the study for different reasons, but this is often because of underreporting. Underreporting of sexual assaults occurs for many reasons, but according to the research, the most common reasons are because the victim did not know he or she was victimized, the victim did not think anyone would