Paroling authorities play a critical role within correctional systems across the nation. They make thousands of decisions a year about the timing of release from prison for a significant number of offenders each year, set conditions of release and respond to violations of post-release supervision for many thousands more, and serve as important partners in contributing to public safety and the wise use of resources.
The following resource package has been developed to assist paroling authorities to consider their current practices with adult sex offenders and the degree to which these practices align with the Parole Resource Center's practices targets to support risk reduction. It is one in a series of three resource packets on special populations (i.e., justice involved-women, persons with mental health issues, and sex offenders) designed to provide representatives of paroling entities with preliminary insights to consider their practices within the context of research-supported and other promising practices, and identify areas in which additional attention may help strengthen their future practices with respect to this special offender population. Research shows that adults who commit sex offenses differ from juveniles who engage in sexually abusive behavior in a number of ways and, as such, policies and practices should reflect these developmental and other differences and not simply mirror strategies developed for adults. This resource packet focuses only on the adult sex offender population.
