Community Corrections in Oregon: Empowerment Philosophy and Sex Offender Supervision Network (From Managing Adult Sex Offenders: A Containment Approach, P 9.1-9.16, 1996, Kim English, Suzanne Pullen, and Linda Jones, eds. - See NCJ-162392)

• NCJ Number: 162400
• Author(s): E Clawson; B McGuire; F Fagel; L Jones
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): 92-IJ-CX-K021
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)

Annotation

Oregon's formation of the Sex Offender Supervision Network is discussed as an example of how staff empowerment facilitates the work of parole and probation officers who specialize in managing sex offenders.

Abstract

Information about Oregon's program was collected during site visits and interviews with criminal justice personnel as part of NIJ-sponsored research on the management of sex offenders in the community. The research often revealed that probation and parole officers were crucial initiators of significant changes in the local approach for managing sex offenders. During the 1980's, parole and probation officers in some Oregon counties developed new ways to manage sex offenders. The Division of Community Services in the Oregon Department of Corrections supported and expanded these efforts as a result of its participatory management approach and commitment to empowering staff. The result was the rapid development of consistent, Statewide policies for managing sex offenders on parole and probation. Oregon's leadership in the area of sex offender management can be attributed in large part to the work of the network and the authority and responsibility the corrections administration has given it. Footnotes and 2 references