When we first hired the therapist he said we'd assess in about 3 months. It's been a little over that so I brought it up last time we went in.

If he was doing SO treatment there's lots to talk about, but mental health treatment when you're not mentally ill leaves you with little to say or work on. I think he just has run out of things my son needs to fix.

Every time my son would go in they'd have a mark to meet for the next meeting in 2 weeks. To get out more and be more social. My son is now going to martial arts classes 3 times a week, has a job and is being more social.
My son would hit each mark even up to 'finding a girlfriend'.. My son has a date this weekend.

It's getting redundant at this point. So he agreed. Now we're just waiting to hear back from the PO to make sure it's ok. This is where the POs supervisor might step in because he wants SO treatment, even tho the judge said he was not to take it. I'm hoping this part is over. Would be nice to have 1 less thing to deal with.

I know for my husband's nephew there was an order put out for the county to pay for his therapies and then the sum to be added to his bill. I'm not entirely sure i was added to his probation/restitution fines and fees or just "billed" seperately. Kind of annoys me, cos there was no such offer for my husband. Then again, this kid's been in trouble so much his parents know the ins and outs.
They've also appealed his SVP designation (it's pending and I don't know if they'll win) but I guess they figured they had nothing to lose.

Hi nako if your son is allowed a computer the PO will come out and put a seal on it and if that seal is broken they have recourse for new charges and most of the time if the crime was an internet based one the so is not allowed to use a computer if the court orders didn't specify this expect a fight from the PO and that may be one of the things you may want to visit in court. Thumperjoe has hit the nail on the head about motion filing do more than one at once the judge generally will grant some and disallow others don't do individual motions or go to court for just one specific thing. After 18 months of therapy we were released from it in a group i was in but the probation department told us we had to go in for monthly monitoring that wasn't specified in our court ordered documents. Well being hard headed at the time i voiced my opinion in group and said I was going to fight it the PO didn't like that nor the therapist whose pocketbook i was going to lighten and the next week i had three violations of probation and a deputy sheriff banging on my door with a warrant and after fighting three separate incidents like this i was to broke to carry out my original fight along with being to tired for my original fight. :P Keep quite about your plans don't voice anything like this to the PO or therapist. just a little advise.

For my fiance's computer he has to have a program on his computer that blocks certain things and his PO gets a report on what websites he goes to. Then once a year I think she comes and looks at it. The software is also on his phone. (He can only have an android or iphone though, they don't make it for the windows phone).

I'm sick of this therapy crap he has to go to. His jobs don't like working around his schedule for it (how is he supposed to pay for it if he can't work?). Plus, they switched companies last year and his completion got cut in half so that added another year. This company that is doing his group now are morons.

As for the date thing...I would say until he gets to know her and he thinks it may go somewhere, kind of keep it quiet. That's what my fiance did with me and I'm happy he did. Honestly, I would have told him where to go and handed him a map on how to get there had he told me outright. I got to know who he was before knowing his offense. Granted, I still almost told him to forget me, but I gave it a shot and I'm so happy I did.

Florida is more like what Thumper related - the mandated treatment is a set thing - you get violated if you do not go and you have to pay 100 dollars a month for group. You have to finish homework etc. to be graduated. I have always thought that it was ridicules that the SOs have to pay for all this stuff - one thing that really has always burned me is that we have to pay the sheriff office restitution for the investigation - I hope all goes as planned! That would be great!

madbill, My son's PO said nothing about a seal. How do you put a seal on a computer. I've never heard of that. The PO will be doing a scan to check it out first and then we download software so they'll be able to monitor him.
My son downloaded cp on Limewire and yes he's allowed a computer. His PO says he is and it's in his release paperwork after the PO approves it. There was no fight about it with the PO.

My son is Not taking SO treatment. The judge said he was not to, but only Mental health treatment and when it ends, depends largely on the therapist. We're waiting on approval from the PO. And I don't anticipate any problem with that.

Keep quiet about what plans? All we're doing is what the PO and the therapist are on board with.

I don't know where you live, but we're in Philly and my son accidentally downloaded cp, got charged with 1 count in Floriduh. If we were here at the time they would have just dropped the charges.. as so many of the PA attorney's and the PO, and the therapist have mentioned.

KnowNot - My son is an intelligent young man. He's not going to tell her what happened to him unless it gets serious.
As far as lying.. He was talking about lying to his PO and therapist. They're on the fence about his guilt and innocence.. leaning toward innocence and getting railroaded. Sometimes you have to change the truth a little to make them happy so they'll go away. just like the cops or ICE agents.

Advocate.. Yeah, my son was sentenced and inprisioned in Floriduh. Funny about that mandated. it really isn't but they don't want anyone to know. The attorney in Floriduh and our new one here in PA knows that part is really open ended.. as the judge knew as well and so said he was not to take SO treatment.

If you read the law, it's not mandated. You can get around it. That's why my son didn't have to take it and they can't make him.

.. Note on that mandated SO treatment. The reason why people aren't really aware is because they can't afford to hire an attorney who really knows the laws. and so they take what they get and think it's mandatory.

to EchoMoon, I'm the mother of a sex offender (strictly on line CP, no actual contact). I live in upstate New York near lake Erie.
My son got 10 years federal, plus 10 years probation, and (I think) lifetime registry. He is currently in Montana facing 15 years there.
Nakohichi, Keep fighting for your son, fingers crossed that he won't have to go to counseling anymore.

it's beyond any words i have, to describe how i feel about this whole mess we are all suffering and going thru is just so wrong on all counts.

when people and kids get railroaded so badly and marked for life, for a non-contact or nonviolent crime???

then reading the stories about the rich getting off with a slap on the hand. or murders walking out of prison after 6 or 8yrs? it makes me want to shred something or someone.

I went though treatment for 3 years. It was more to help me deal with what happened to me and the resulting government BS than anything else. I remember my therapist, Tim, telling me early on that it is not paranoia when they really are out to get you. Been my watch phrase ever since.

In Virginia, at least where I live, almost nobody graduates from therapy except when you finish probation. They stopped graduating when some guy in my group had less than six months on probation and went stupid. He went to a party, had a drink, and had verbal contact with a minor, decided to lie about it, failed three polygraphs and got his probation extended by five more years.

BTW, therapy out here generally costs 50-55 a week. I became very paranoid during my probation and ended up having to have a personal therapist to detox from the mandated SO therapy.