HRSO Taskforce

Background: the Governor, Assembly Members Spitzer and Bermudez and former CDCR Secretary Tilton (CDCR) convened a working group to discuss the assessment and supervision of High Risk Sex Offenders. A group consisting of CDCR, Parole, Probation, Cities, Counties, District Attorneys, Law Enforcement and Victims met over the summer to make recommendations that would improve practice. The Governor acted quickly on many of these recommendations through Executive Order, and indicated his support for the remaining long-term recommendations.

Current Activities: upon receipt of the report the taskforce informed the governor that while we were pleased with the direction of the recommendations, there was still much to be done related to the issue of appropriate, safe placements of high-risk sex offenders. We asked the Governor to continue the task force so that we could attend to this issue. The Governor agreed, and continued the mandate of the group. In addition, the Governor asked the taskforce to work with the Department of Mental Health to address issues related to community placement of Sexually Violent Predators.

I’m sure that most of you are familiar with California’s Civil Commitment Program but a few things bear repeating. Sexually Violent Predator is a specific term applied to those offenders who, after their criminal term of confinement, remanded to the Department of Mental Health for intensive in-patient treatment – this term is often misused to apply to other sex offenders broadly. These individuals are no longer considered prisoners but are patients in a five-stage civil treatment program.

To date, five of the approximately 500 individuals who are civilly committed have been conditionally released from this program and are under supervision (by mental health contractors in the community). It is important to note that there have been over 50 individuals who have been unconditionally released to court-order and are currently not under any supervision, civil or criminal. I point all of this out to belabor the point that the HRSO is addressing its recommendations to the placement individuals who are under conditional release (and are under some sort of jurisdiction of the state) versus those who have been released unconditionally and are not subject to the jurisdiction of the state.