Collaboration between supervision officers and treatment providers involved in sex offender management

Collaboration between treatment providers and supervision officers is frequently cited as essential to effective sex offender management; however, there is a marked lack of information pertaining to the nature and quality of such collaboration. Furthermore, there are many disparities in practices and opinions concerning the extent to which supervision officers should be involved in the treatment process. Some treatment providers and supervision officers maintain that the participation of supervision officers in the treatment groups enhances sex offender management, whereas others argue that such participation may be detrimental to the therapeutic process. This pilot project, conducted in partnership with Correctional Services Canada (CSC), explores the practices and opinions of supervision officers involved in the adult outpatient sex offender treatment programs offered by Vancouver Area Community Corrections. In particular, issues related to the collaborative interactions between supervision officers and treatment providers and the participation of supervision officers in treatment groups are investigated.