Liberty Behavioral Health

Parole Visitation Guidelines:

Indiana Sex Offender Management and Monitoring Program
Parole Minor Visitation Guideline - April 15, 2002

To ensure community safety, accountability and responsibility by sex offenders as well as compliance with court orders, the Indiana Parole Board Standard Parole Stipulations for Sex Offenders #4 states: "You shall have no contact with any child, including your own." It is understood, however, that there may be times for contact with a minor child to occur. Those times may include a therapeutic intervention where a child is in need of contact, or in a case where a family will reunify after community supervision. It is important to assist the offender and the family through visitation transitions and prepare them for possible reunification when the time is appropriate. Therefore, the following guidelines are suggested when considering visitation between a sex offender and a minor. The Specialized Parole Agent after consultation with the containment team must receive approval from the Indiana Parole Board before any contact with a child takes place.

Contact between children and sexual abusers requires specialized procedures and supervision. Individuals who have sexually abused children, as well as those offenders who have abused adults, continue to present a risk to children even after successful treatment completion. In order to determine the appropriateness of offender contact with children the following guidelines are suggested.

Clients whose victims are adults:

• The client must take full responsibility for the offense for which he/she is currently on parole as well as all prior sex crime convictions.
• The client has completed a non-deceptive sexual history polygraph showing that he/she has no prior child (under age 18) victims and no sexual arousal in children.
• The client has completed a non-deceptive maintenance and monitoring polygraph within three months prior to the requested visitation.
• The client has participated in, and is in compliance with, at least one year of treatment.

Clients whose victims are children:

• The client must take full responsibility for the offense for which he/she is on parole as well as all prior sex crime convictions.
• The client has participated in, and is in compliance with, at least one year of sex offender treatment. The client will be evaluated on such issues as victim empathy, relapse prevention plan, safety plan, identification of triggers, active participation, and is in good standing with treatment provider.
• The client is in compliance with all parole conditions.
• The client has completed a sexual history disclosure polygraph and the results of this examination has been reviewed by the containment team (when appropriate) to evaluate the appropriateness of a visitation and to assist in recommendations to the Parole Agent.
• The client has completed a non-deceptive maintenance and monitoring polygraph. The test is given within three months prior to the requested visitation.

If the client meets the above criteria, the client may request contact with a specific minor. The following should be addressed in the request:

• Identify the reason for the contact.
• Verification that the contact is wanted by the minor and legal guardian, in person to therapist.
• Identification of an appropriate supervisor for the contact. This supervisor must:
  1. Acknowledge offender's offense, guilt of offender, and need for supervision for the visit in writing.
  2. Demonstrate willingness, and ability, to protect the child to any degree necessary, up to and including, termination of visit and report of inappropriate behavior.
• Client has devised an appropriate safety plan that has been approved by the containment team.

• Supervisor meets with the containment team to hear all opinions and create best plan of action.

If visitation is approved by the agent:

• The containment team will work together to establish the length and conditions of the visit.
• Under no conditions should the client be alone with the child. No touching and no disciplining.
• Random polygraph may be asked of an offender when visitation is completed.
• Supervising parole agent will request a modification of the parole stipulation concerning contact with children to the parole board.
• Visitation can be changed or terminated by the supervising agent as deemed appropriate.