SOMB Quarterly Minute

October 2022

SOMB Chair's Note:

Happy Fall everyone! Every year around this time I start to see this unattributed quote floating around social media - 


“The trees are about to show us how lovely it is to let things go”. 


It’s a wonderful sentiment when you think about it. After all, we are in the business of change. And it’s a nice reminder for all of us that as difficult as change can be, it is also imperative for growth. Not just for our clients but for us as professionals as well. 


Speaking of change, we’ve seen quite a few within the SOMB Standards just in the last year. So I’d like to take the opportunity that the season affords and remind everyone to take full advantage of the trainings on the website, Lunch and Learns, and upcoming advanced series that are in the works to help keep you up to speed on the ever advancing field we work in. Best of all, the great majority are free! Doesn’t get better than that. 


Until next time, enjoy the changing of the seasons and take advantage of the beautiful state we live in! 



Thank you,

Kimberly Kline, MA, LPC, ACS

SOMB Chair

New Board Member

Sarah Croog is an attorney in private practice in Colorado municipal, state, and federal courts since 2006. She has represented hundreds of individuals in both investigations and pre-filing matters and who have been criminally accused of a wide range of offenses with a focus on trial advocacy. She has also represented individuals in related proceedings including civil protection orders, Title IX proceedings, student conduct hearings, DMV, DHHS, and Dependency and Neglect mattes.



Sarah is a Colorado native, who was raised in Boulder, Colorado. Along with her criminal defense work, Sarah is involved in animal rescue and has fostered over 200 cats and kittens. She is the guardian to three cats and one dog who is considered an honorary cat by the quadrupeds.

Practice Corner


Family Resource Guide

TOPIC:  Release to the Public of the completed Resource Guide for Families of Adults Accused, Charged or Convicted of Sexual Offenses in Colorado [with update links and QR codes]  

 

The completed Resource Guide for Families of Adults Accused, Charged or Convicted of Sexual Offenses in Colorado is now available to the public.

 

BACKGROUND: The Family Education, Engagement and Support Committee – later renamed the Family Education, Engagement, and Support Working Group (Working Group) – was established by the SOMB in June 2015 in response to family members’ concerns about what happens to loved ones who are accused or convicted of a sex offense. Family members expressed a need for information about what happens to loved ones who enter the legal system, subject to sex offense provisions and requirements under the law. For over six years, the Working Group met during the first Friday of each month. The meeting was facilitated by family members and included family members, registered citizens, advocates for people with sexual offenses, advocates for people who have been sexually victimized, community and prison-based therapists, probation and parole representatives, legal representatives, and Sex Offender Management Board members and staff. This Working Group worked collaboratively with stakeholders to produce a product that will inform, support, and recognizes the impact of their loved one’s crime on their family members and finally, provides appropriate ways for family members to engage with the various agencies and boards their loved one will travel through. With the completion of this work, the Working Group is now on a well-earned hiatus.

 

PURPOSE of the GUIDE: This guide was prepared to answer many questions, to provide resources, and to validate the emotional upheaval that family members may experience as a loved one goes through the justice system. The committee is endeavoring to provide a family perspective using family friendly language without compromising accuracy of information.

 

GUIDE PREPARATION PROCESS: Early on, the Working Group decided to focus on producing a document that provides information to family members from arrest to post sentence, which recognizes the impact on families, and suggests what family members can do, and where they can go to get answers.  The Resource Guide for Families of Adults Accused, Charged or Convicted of Sexual Offenses in Colorado (The Guide) is divided in three parts plus Appendices: Part 1 – Supporting Your Loved One from Arrest to Sentencing; Part 2 -Serving the Sentence (with post sentence considerations); Part 3 – Agency Information, provided directly from the respective agencies. The Guide aims to be clear about what each step from arrest to post sentencing looks like to a family member who may be seeing their loved one in the judicial system for the first time. The Working group felt it was important to describe each step accurately, if not thoroughly. So it was vital to the Working Group that each agency/system/department/board vet the description of their part. Beyond that, the perspective of each chapter is from the family point of view. The Guide includes Alert Boxes, Key Terms, Glossary, and Personal Stories. 

 

WHERE TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THE GUIDE: The Resource Guide for Families of Adults Accused, Charged or Convicted of Sexual Offenses in Colorado is freely available for download to all members of the public from:

https://www.advocates4change.org/family-resource-guide/  The Resource Guide is being posted on this website solely as a public service.



The download page can also be accessed through this QR code by mobile devices:  

Next SOMB Meeting

Please join us for our monthly SOMB meeting In-Person or Virtually.


When: November 18, 2022

Time: 9:00am-4:00pm

Where: Denver Police Protective Association Event Center

2105 Decatur St., Denver, Colorado 80211


Agenda & Registration Coming Soon!

Research Corner


In 2018, the Colorado Legislature funded the SOMB to develop a Provider Data Management

System (PDMS) to gather evaluation, treatment, and polygraph data on clients that fall under the

purview of the SOMB. On January 1, 2020, the PDMS was officially launched and

implementation began. Over the last four years, Statistical Analyst, Dr. Yuanting Zhang has

assisted with the development of a data management system, trained providers on the system and how to enter data, continues to support providers, and is now gathering some great information to analyze.


Dr. Zhang and SOMB staff have been reviewing data from the questions asked in the PDMS. For

example, was adjunct treatment utilized during treatment, what was the mode of the treatment

sessions, how were the client’s needs identified, has the client previously been in Sex Offense

Specific Treatment, was this a repeat exam, and were new admissions made to the polygraph

examiner. While providers have been inputting data, they have also shared some information in

the comments section of this platform.


In the Adult Beginning Treatment section, one provider shared “Due to the length of time since

his sexual offense conviction (more than ten years), use of validated risk assessments would be

inappropriate” and “The evaluator who completed the original evaluation did not provide any risk assessments, just clinical opinion.” A couple of other examples in this section are, “I used the recommendations on the SOMB white paper for female offenders,” or “There are no known risk assessments for a person who was born male and identifies as a transwoman. The

VASOR/SOTIPS were used as they committed their crime as a male and were used as a clinical

indicator not an actuarial assessment.” SOMB staff are reviewing which risk assessments are

being used, how they are incorporating denial intervention, and what the results were of a current polygraph examination. In the Beginning Level of Denial Intervention section, a provider stated the client “attended an accountability group and index offense polygraph to work on addressing issues of denial for behaviors he was not acknowledging.” Another comment in this section stated “Must build rapport. Use non-inflammatory language, describe elements of what makes sexual behavior a crime and he admitted that the victim could not consent, that he had greater power than victim and used coercion to get her to comply. However, at other times he would deny he committed a sex offense.”


Comments are being entered by treatment providers, evaluators, and polygraph examiners and

while this is a glimpse of some of the information the SOMB has gathered; the SOMB would

like to thank providers for sharing this information and encourage providers to continue entering

this data. The SOMB staff will continue to review and share this information with the field to

assist with implementation, training and technical assistance as well as determine the need for

possible revisions of the Standards and Guidelines. Stay tuned for more information on the data

being collected in the Annual Legislative Report or for more information, please feel free to contact Yuanting.Zhang@state.co.us.


The SOMB Provider Data Management System is nearing its third anniversary (SOMB Provider Database). Thank you to everyone for diligently entering data into the system. Your contributions have allowed us to report trend analyses in the last two annual legislative reports (SOMB Research & Reports). We will add our third year of trend analyses in the upcoming report. We also continue to explore options for answering pertinent research questions with the data. We are working on a current project analyzing whether specific client characteristics are associated with discharge outcomes, and we will share the findings with the field in the future.

 

I wish to emphasize that NOW is the time of the year to continue this awesome work! I need your help to submit all of the required evaluation, treatment, and polygraph data by November 1st, 2022. I will extract data for the third-year trend analyses on Nov. 1st, which will be reported in the 2023 Legislative report.

 

If you have any questions or comments on the data management system, data entry, or trend analyses, please feel to contact Yuanting.Zhang@state.co.us.


Training Updates

Lunch & Learn Trainings are for SOMB Approved Providers ONLY


SOMB Lunch & Learn: Professional Ethics & DORA


Presenters: Kimberly Kline & Christopher Lobanov-Rostovsky

 

Training Description: SOMB Treatment Providers are subject to the standards and ethics of multiple agencies and jurisdictions of oversight. Questions have been raised about how best to adhere to these various requirements. This training will aim to assist you in navigating and better understanding the obligations you have as a clinician working under both the SOMB Standards and DORA. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and have discussion about challenging issues facing SOMB Treatment Providers with other Providers. 


WHEN: December 8, 2022

TIME: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

WHERE: Virtual

CEU: 1.5 Hours

COST: Free


Press Here to Register for this Lunch & Learn

Upcoming 2023 Lunch & Learn Topics

Implementation of PDMS/New Applications

Data Collection & Success in Treatment

Section 2.0 - Evaluator Revisions/Risk Assessment/VASOR Results

Sex Offense History with a Current Non-Sex Crime

Victim Representation

Sex History Packet

Standards & Policy Booster

Committee Updates


Committee report Children with PSB

The SOMB has convened a Sub-Committee of the Best Practices Committee to review issues related to children with sexual behavior problems. This population encompasses children 12 years old and under who have been involved in problematic sexual behavior that has led to adjudication for those aged 10-12, involvement of the Department of Human Services, and/or identification through the school system. The purpose of this sub-committee is to develop a resource document that will provide guidance to treatment providers and other professionals working on these cases in terms of the characteristics and dynamics posed of children with sexual behavior problems, the risk they pose for future sexual offending behavior, and best practice interventions to prevent future offending. The SOMB has purview over youth adjudicated for a sexual crime, but not those who are identified through non-court based mechanisms. This resource document will identify best practice interventions that can be used in any circumstances with children with sexual behavior problems. This sub-committee will be sending out a survey to providers to gather further information. This group meets virtually on a monthly basis. If interested in more information or to review the draft of the resource document, please feel free to contact Raechel.Alderete@state.co.us or Chris.Lobanov-Rostovsky@state.co.us

Policy Update

The SOMB has recently revised its policy regarding the process for gathering Public Comments for

revisions to the Standards and Guidelines. Previously when the Board reviewed revisions to the

Standards it would be reviewed in several stages. Following several proposed revisions and public

comment periods, the staff of the SOMB recognized the importance of the Committees and Board Members reviewing public comment before a vote for revisions to the Standards. The current process only solicits public comment after the Item is discussed and a vote occurs. This practice does not provide the Community to inform the Board of their perspective prior to a vote.

 

Revisions to the policy changes will change when public comment will take place and how the information will be reviewed. When work products or revisions are proposed within a Committee or Work Group, approval by the Board is required. When a Committee has decided the product is complete, staff will ensure it is reviewed by the Best Practice Committee before the Board’s review. This committee will review all literature and applicable research along with the revisions. When the Best Practice committee approves the item, it will be moved forward to the Board. The work will be labeled as an Action Item on the Board Agenda. All literature or research, and other relevant information needed will be provided for review. The Board will be asked to review all information, and given an opportunity to ask questions during a public meeting. The Board will then decide whether they want public comment or if more work is needed. Once the public comment process occurs, all public comments will be reviewed by the original committee or work group. Once public comment is reviewed, they can make any revisions or changes. Once the Best Practice finishes its review of the final product or recommendations, the item will be forwarded to the Board. During the Decision Item stage,

Board members will then review any recommended revisions. Board members will discuss the changes, ask questions and consider all Public testimony that will take place during the meeting. This allows additional comments and questions from any stakeholders or members of the public. If the Board makes changes to language and decides a substantive change has occurred in the content or substance of the revisions originally reviewed by the Public, another period of public comment can be requested to allow transparency prior to any vote by the Board.


This new public comment process will allow all stakeholders more participation in the revisions process. It also allows Committees to view all public comments before making their final revisions or recommendations to the Board. When members of the SOMB receive the final recommendations or revisions, they have all available information to have thoughtful conversations and fulfill their statutory mandate to remain evidence-based and prioritize victim and public safety.


SOMB Website

cdps_dcj_training@state.co.us