Juvenile Sex Offender Management

The Comprehensive Approaches to Sex Offender Management (CASOM) Grant Program is authorized under Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Pub. L. No. 103-322, 42 U.S.C. 13941. The CASOM grants are awarded to state, local, and tribal jurisdictions to develop or enhance sex offender management practices for offenders under community supervision. The Office of Justice Programs awards implementation and enhancement grants. Implementation and Enhancement grants are intended to assist jurisdictions to either implement strategic plans already developed or to enhance existing sex offender management strategies.

The overall goal of Orange County's JSOM project is to develop a comprehensive, collaborative, and integrated plan for implementing an evidence-based program to manage juvenile sex offenders in Orange County (Phase I) and to implement that plan and evaluate its effectiveness (Phase II). This plan should provide for the safety of victims and the community, while holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes and providing interventions to address the offenders' risk factors and needs associated with the criminal behavior. All of the agencies that signed the Memorandum of Understanding, have agreed to establish a multidisciplinary team of decision-makers to examine Orange County's current practices for juvenile sex offender management; develop strategies for improvement; and provide oversight in implementing and evaluating those strategies.

The Orange County Probation Department will carry out the following goals during the assessment and planning phase (Phase I) of the project: 1.) Develop a comprehensive description of the current system in Orange County for managing juvenile sex offenders and serving victims of juvenile sex crimes; 2.) Review current literature and research findings concerning evidenced-based best practices for managing juvenile sex offenders and addressing the needs of their victims, and consult with individuals identified by CSOM as experts in conducting research and in developing evidence-based programs for juvenile sex offenders and their victims; 3.) Complete an analysis of the existing system relative to the best-practice findings. In addition to identifying strengths, the analysis will identify where gaps and duplications exist in the current system that must be addressed in the comprehensive plan; 4.) Develop a system-wide plan; and 5.) Identify what resources will be needed in order to implement the system plan and how resources not currently in place will be garnered for implementation. The goals and activities for the implementation and evaluation phase (Phase II) will be determined by the results of Phase I.

CA/NCF