No they absolutely do not. I personally feel that all the internet restrictions for people on paper have more to do with keeping them isolated and away from information than any notion of "safety".

I am sure they don't. But wonder if they have access to your computer;s activity as part of the requirements would they not find out where you go to for this information?

Nako,

What they DON'T like is the fact that you are educated and informed about sex offender issues and that you have access to information regarding the sex offender laws and any regulations that deal with probation issues.

It is much easier for them to run all over people who are uninformed. You and your son are going to be a much tougher cookie to crack.

Knowledge is power and they don't like that. They consider someone with first hand knowledge of the system to be a threat.

rewdiazepam

Rew,

That brings me to the thought, which I've had ever since meeting this dude. My son goes in for his first visit with the PO.
The PO asks me to come in after and we sit there for an Hour. My son had to fill out this form when we first got there, It has 3 pages worth of questions asking him things like: When you commit a crime do you feel guilty?

He takes this 3 pages of (rate this question from 1 to 5) and it calculates, along with his other info, that my son is low risk.

He shows it to us on his computer. And then tells us that, Yes my son is low risk, but 'We' ( I guess We means POs ) never leave it on low , it's always changed to Hi risk. and he manually goes in and changes it to high risk. And I'm sitting there.. and in my mind I'm going WTF?

This guy is afraid of something. And with every step we deal with him it just seems he's afraid and covering his ass. He's in his 30s , about 6'3" big guy, not fat but big.. and he seems afraid of doing the 'right thing'.. altho I'm sure he thinks he's doing the right thing, and everyone who comes in his office is High Risk.

Nako,

What you have described is EXACTLY why the registry is a completely foolish venture. There truly are high risk people who are on it, but NOBODY knows who they are. Parents have many things to be concerned about in this crazy world, but the SO Registry is not a way to identify people who are at risk of harming your child. I'm sure this PO is doing the CYA thing. I would be interested to find out (of course you will never know) who or what he is so afraid of.

Peek

It seems to me that him changing the assessment the software program calculated from low to high risk would be illegal.

I'm adding it to our talk with the lawyer tomorrow along with the fact that he insists my son take treatment even tho a federal judge says he's not to.

This might get him into trouble with the probation office , if we can prove all this. I don't care if he gets reprimanded or fired for not complying with the judge or messing with an assessment.

My son knows the risks. And I'll throw as much money as I have to with this new lawyer to do it .

Your experience with this guy is just another example of the hypocrisy and the total foolishness of the system.

If a probationer is always somehow magically changed to "high risk" regardless of his answers or how well he scored on those 1 to 5 type questions, why did they actually administer the test to begins with? If the result is always putting the probationer on tier 3, as the PO stressed, why have such a test and waste everyone's time?

The results of the test did not mean a thing if they change everyone to high risk.

This is analogous to a situation we have here in Oklahoma regarding the parole process and the governor. An inmate can be given parole by a vote of the parole board members, but the governor can still refuse the parole by denying it.

The governor has the last word. Well, if the governor has the last word, it looks to me as if the governor is running the show when it comes to paroles, so why have a parole board in the first place? Just let the governor make all the parole decisions because that is what it boils down to anyway. Foolishness and political pandering.

Notice he made a big production right there in front of you and your son when he went to the trouble of showing you on the computer that your son was low risk. He wanted your attention. Then he turned right around, slapped you in the face, and made sure to demonstrate to you that he has ALL the power and even though your son was considered low risk, he could change it to high risk---and that is just what he did. Classification changed by the mere click of a mouse.

Be careful with this guy. Never let your guard down. Sometimes these POs like to play the "good cop, bad cop" routine, but without the other cop. They will praise your son and seem like a decent guy, then BOOM, the moment something does not go their way they completely change like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You cannot ever trust anyone connected with law enforcement.

rewdiazepam

I have seen a few cases where low risk offenders went on to commit horrendous crimes. The one in Iowa or was it Idaho comes to mind. We all know the risk assessment tests need to be revamped. But they do not allow psychiatrists that are studying this field do their job without scrutiny or being called an enabler. You know more than I do on this Peek. So to digress to a thread that was posted on what changes we would like to see happen in the registry, I would like to see a more efficient risk assessment testing process.

First, I would never tell a PO how I obtained information - just a "I checked around" type answer. If your son is living with you then that PO has a "right" to look thru every "common" area of the house to check for contraband including your computer - so I would suggest putting your computer in an "office" area with a locked door and the key on your person -

Re-read your son's terms of probation and you may find the section which says "treatment as deemed appropriate by the PO" or similar words - even if the judge didn't order SO treatment directly - it was authorizied indirectly.

Changing classification should be brought up to your attorney, if you still have one. Ask how to document this change to protect yourself - does it mean the PO has more "legal" ability to search your home and areas of your home?

REW is exactly right - do not trust a PO and remember who is on probation in your home, if you aren't don't speak with them. Does anyone know if you can video the home search made by a PO? I don't myself but it would be interesting to find out - another member for the idiots registry.

I just checked through our state's sex offender information - found the Sex Offender Management guide for treatment and polygraphs issued by the SOMBoard - very eye opening - still looking for the sex offender probation guide to see what the PO is required to do and look for in managing the "SO"

The PO asking about our community worries me. I've already read that a judge stopped the proceedings to read what a sister had commented about her brothers case. While I'm sure the "opposition" does come here and read the threads, I still like to find comfort that I'm among friends here.

I am sure they do also - and many other sites I have discovered since I found this one- seems there are a lot of SO forums out there for each state - the PO may just not have heard of this one.

jackie, you mentioned a recent case of a repeat offender- Idaho just sentenced a repeat offender to life plus 15 for an enhancement- This is just they type of case people use to justify more legislation to "protect" society.
This person was required to register - but that did not stop him.

What the registry is intended to accomplish failed and more legislation does not fix the problem or protect anyone. It reminds me of the "old days" when we would go to the movies and the "good" guys wore white hats and the "bad" guys wore black hats.

Probation/parole officer, law enforcement officers all refer to people consider as "not one of them" to be "the bad guys". So I guess everyone not one of "them" should be wearing black hats by law so the bad guys can be found quicker. I know it sounds pretty stupid but the legislation seems to be heading in that direction.

Rew, He's still classified as tier 1 but in the assessment he's high risk.

It's like I've noticed thruout all of this. Noone knows what they're doing. No one has the 'right' answer because there is no right answer. The laws are so all over the place that it's just up to the person at that moment who dictates what the SOs are.

lovesourson.. Actually, the PO does NOt have the right to look thu everything. He can get a search warrant but he needs to show a real good reason to get one.
He's not supposed to be able to open my son's drawers or closet, unless he asks and my son says yes. . without a search warrant.

I read my son's terms of probation and the judge said he's Not to take SO treatment. .Period.

I know not to trust this guy. As Rew said, he's the good cop bad cop all in one.

Nakohichi - I don't know what state you live in and I am sure each state is very different, but in our state a person signs an agreement and one term in their probation order, signed by a judge,is that the probationer waives his rights on searchs by law enforcement and probation officers of his/her person, vehicle and place of residence. So any "common" area is fair game. They can and do seach the probationer's bedroom and the full home if the probation lives alone. If he/she lives in a parents home then the living room, kitchen, bathroom and any other room deemed "common area" may and usually is searched.

Lovesourson, Nakohichi's son is under federal supervision so the rules are different. This kind of thing also varies by state. My alleged offense was in Florida but I'm serving my probation in MO. In Florida the state PO's can perform searches like you describe but law enforcement searches still require a warrant unless that right is waived as part of the plea agreement and authorized by the judge. It wasn't in my case so I'm not subject to warrantless searches by LEO's in FL. Missouri is the exact opposite. By serving my probation here I am subject to warrantless searches by LEO's but a PO cannot search anything without permission