POST-CONVICTION SEX OFFENDER TESTING (PCSOT)
The primary goal of all PCSOT activities should be to increase public safety by adding incremental validity to risk-assessment and risk-management, and treatment-planning decisions made by professionals who provide supervision and sex-offense specific treatment to convicted sex offenders in community settings.
Since 1990, many states have developed specialized polygraph testing programs to reduce recidivism and to assist in the treatment and monitoring of convicted sex offenders after they are released back into the community on probation or parole. Initially, the Court generally orders the convicted sex offender to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation and to comply with resulting recommendations. A sexual history polygraph examination is commonly administered as part of the psycho-sexual evaluation process. Generally speaking, Courts often order convicted sex offenders to submit to initial, and periodic (Maintenance) polygraph testing as a condition of probation/parole to verify their compliance in treatment programs and their compliance with the terms and conditions of their probation/parole/courts.
FOUR EXAMPLES OF POST-CONVICTION SEX OFFENDER TESTING:
DISCLOSURE - INSTANT OFFENSE: This examination is usually administered when the offender is in denial of having committed the instant offense. The purpose of this exam is to verify or break the offender’s denial of guilt (all or in part) to the offense(s) for which s/he has been convicted, so that treatment can be more effective.
Two specific tests may be conducted. One test is used to examine the offender’s denial to all or any part of the reported instant offense(s); the other test is used to examine additional, but unreported, sexual violations of the victim in order to obtain a full disclosure. The victim(s), especially a child victim, may be too embarrassed or reluctant to disclose all the specific sexual acts he or she was subjected to or perhaps the victim(s) was threatened to keep the full victimization secret. If these unreported acts are not disclosed, the offender has been allowed to continue in treatment without admitting the full extent of his/her actions with the victim.
DISCLOSURE – SEXUAL HISTORY: The offender’s sexual history relates to his/her lifetime prior to the date of conviction on the instant offense(s). According to experts in this area, appropriate treatment can only be successful if the offender’s complete sexual history is disclosed to the treatment providers. This information assists the treatment providers in the development of effective and appropriate treatment plans, goals and conditions. The purpose of this test is to explore the offender’s sexual history, including illegal sexual behavior, and other sexual deviance to determine whether the offender is withholding pertinent information about his/her sexual history.
MONITORING: This test is used as a tool to help reduce recidivism and monitors a time period from the offender’s date of conviction (date of probation/parole) to the present. The purpose of this test is to verify the offender has not been involved in any new illegal sexual acts while on probation or parole.
MAINTENANCE EXAM FOR PROBATION/PAROLE VIOLATIONS: This test is particularly useful in reducing the probability of recidivism. This examination covers a time period from the offender’s date of conviction (date of probation/parole), or since the most recent polygraph examination, to the present. The purpose of this exam is to determine whether the offender has violated any terms or conditions of his/her probation or parole and/or conditions set by the Court or treatment provider. The exam seeks to determine whether the offender is having contact with the victim or their families, “grooming” anyone as a new potential victim, being at or around places where children are known to congregate, viewing pornography, using illegal drugs or alcohol, or any other issue that would show the offender has violated the terms and conditions of his/her probation/parole or treatment contract. The results of this exam are used to assist probation and parole officers in developing supervision strategies and in assessing risk while the offender is on probation or parole. The treatment provider may use the results to modify the offender's individual treatment plan and to assess risk.
For further information on PCSOT, visit the American Polygraph Association website: http://www.polygraph.org/
Since 1990, many states have developed specialized polygraph testing programs to reduce recidivism and to assist in the treatment and monitoring of convicted sex offenders after they are released back into the community on probation or parole. Initially, the Court generally orders the convicted sex offender to undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation and to comply with resulting recommendations. A sexual history polygraph examination is commonly administered as part of the psycho-sexual evaluation process. Generally speaking, Courts often order convicted sex offenders to submit to initial, and periodic (Maintenance) polygraph testing as a condition of probation/parole to verify their compliance in treatment programs and their compliance with the terms and conditions of their probation/parole/courts.
FOUR EXAMPLES OF POST-CONVICTION SEX OFFENDER TESTING:
DISCLOSURE - INSTANT OFFENSE: This examination is usually administered when the offender is in denial of having committed the instant offense. The purpose of this exam is to verify or break the offender’s denial of guilt (all or in part) to the offense(s) for which s/he has been convicted, so that treatment can be more effective.
Two specific tests may be conducted. One test is used to examine the offender’s denial to all or any part of the reported instant offense(s); the other test is used to examine additional, but unreported, sexual violations of the victim in order to obtain a full disclosure. The victim(s), especially a child victim, may be too embarrassed or reluctant to disclose all the specific sexual acts he or she was subjected to or perhaps the victim(s) was threatened to keep the full victimization secret. If these unreported acts are not disclosed, the offender has been allowed to continue in treatment without admitting the full extent of his/her actions with the victim.
DISCLOSURE – SEXUAL HISTORY: The offender’s sexual history relates to his/her lifetime prior to the date of conviction on the instant offense(s). According to experts in this area, appropriate treatment can only be successful if the offender’s complete sexual history is disclosed to the treatment providers. This information assists the treatment providers in the development of effective and appropriate treatment plans, goals and conditions. The purpose of this test is to explore the offender’s sexual history, including illegal sexual behavior, and other sexual deviance to determine whether the offender is withholding pertinent information about his/her sexual history.
MONITORING: This test is used as a tool to help reduce recidivism and monitors a time period from the offender’s date of conviction (date of probation/parole) to the present. The purpose of this test is to verify the offender has not been involved in any new illegal sexual acts while on probation or parole.
MAINTENANCE EXAM FOR PROBATION/PAROLE VIOLATIONS: This test is particularly useful in reducing the probability of recidivism. This examination covers a time period from the offender’s date of conviction (date of probation/parole), or since the most recent polygraph examination, to the present. The purpose of this exam is to determine whether the offender has violated any terms or conditions of his/her probation or parole and/or conditions set by the Court or treatment provider. The exam seeks to determine whether the offender is having contact with the victim or their families, “grooming” anyone as a new potential victim, being at or around places where children are known to congregate, viewing pornography, using illegal drugs or alcohol, or any other issue that would show the offender has violated the terms and conditions of his/her probation/parole or treatment contract. The results of this exam are used to assist probation and parole officers in developing supervision strategies and in assessing risk while the offender is on probation or parole. The treatment provider may use the results to modify the offender's individual treatment plan and to assess risk.
For further information on PCSOT, visit the American Polygraph Association website: http://www.polygraph.org/