SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A backlog in the sex offender treatment program in Utah’s prison system has left inmates waiting for months for treatment when they would otherwise be eligible for parole, according to a state audit.
The audit, released Monday at meeting of a legislative audit committee, found that the treatment program at Utah’s Department of Corrections has become outdated and a “one-size-fits-all” program.
Staff don’t use the most current treatment practices, keep records about performance and progress or make the most effective us of their resources, all contributing to a backlog, according to the audit. The Utah Department of Corrections has had a psychologist position vacant since August, and one of eight therapists the department has not worked with inmates in the sex-offender treatment program for five years.
“Some of the concerns we have are just that the management of the treatment is so poor,” Legislative Auditor General John Schaff said. “Some therapists are not giving therapy at all and others are not giving very much therapy.”
Schaff said that creates a bigger problem for the overall prison system because up to one-third of all inmates are serving time for sex offenses.
Department of Corrections Executive Director Rollin Cook told lawmakers on the audit committee that the prison system has already started complying with the audit’s recommendations.
“We failed in this particular area and moving forward we’re going to fix it,” Cook said.
Schaff’s office suggested one way to address the issue could be to allow low-risk sex offenders to get treated outside of prison, rather than requiring most of them participate before being released, according to the audit.
Schaff said currently, about 37 percent of those going through the sex offender program are considered low-risk, according to The Salt Lake Tribune (https://bit.ly/2o6Sebq ).
Republican Rep. Jim Dunnigan asked for the audit after Utah residents informed him that their family members are behind bars but haven’t been put into a sex-offender treatment program.
“They were feeling that their relatives were just falling through the cracks,” Dunnigan said. “They’re just being warehoused and not offered an opportunity to complete the mandated treatments.”
About 114 inmates complete the treatment every year, with each inmate’s treatment taking about 18 months.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, https://www.sltrib.com
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