Registration and Notification for Juveniles Who Commit Sexual Offenses
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Training Description
Prevention and intervention strategies for sexual offending behavior, including sex offender management, have become increasingly prominent and important in the United States. Despite the intuitive value of using science to guide decision-making, laws and policies designed to combat sexual offending are often introduced or enacted in the absence of empirical support. However, there is little question that both public safety and the efficient use of public resources would be enhanced if sex offender management strategies were based on evidence of effectiveness rather than other factors.
Sex offender registration and notification (SORN) has been used as a management strategy since the 1930s. Presently, 41 states have some kind of registration for juveniles adjudicated delinquent of sex offenses; 30 states either permit or require public website posting for those juveniles, and the vast majority require registration and public notification for juveniles transferred for trial and convicted as an adult. Unfortunately, the body of research addressing SORN’s effectiveness with juveniles remains extremely limited today.
This training reviews juvenile SORN research studies and their findings for the purpose of informing policy and practice at the federal, state, and local levels. Findings from studies comparing the recidivism rates of juveniles who commit sexual offenses with those of two groups—adult sex offenders and juveniles who commit nonsexual offenses—are also presented to shed light on any comparative differences that exist in the propensity to reoffend.
Trainer Biography
Christopher Lobanov-Rostovsky, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked for the Division of Criminal Justice within the Colorado Department of Public Safety as the Program Manager for the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board since 2006, where he is responsible for overseeing the development of standards for the treatment and management of sexual offenders, approving treatment providers, and providing legislative and policy input. He also works as a private consultant for a variety of federal, state, tribal, and private agencies in developing and enhancing sex offender management services, including providing training and technical assistance, program assessment, literature reviews, peer review of grant solicitations and reports, and legislative and policy development. Mr. Lobanov-Rostovsky has published a number of articles and chapters related to federal and state sex offender management public policy, and was recently awarded the 2015 National Adolescent Perpetration Network Advocacy Award for his work in promoting evidence-based policies and legislation.
Learning Objectives
This training is designed to help you:
- At the end of the session, participants will have an understanding of the application of adult sex offender management policies like SORN with juveniles.
- At the end of the session, participants will gain an awareness of the research related to the use of SORN with juveniles who commit sexual offenses.
- At the end of the session, participants will have an understanding of the similarities and differences related to adult sex offenders, juveniles who commit sexual offenses, and juveniles who commit non-sexual offenses based on the research.
