Should The Names Of Registered Sex Offenders Be Available To The Public

COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado state auditor has written a scathing performance review about a land board responsible for developing standards for treating and managing registered sex offenders.

The audit said members of the Sex Offender Management Board voted on policy revisions that benefited their firms, did not reference supporting evidence when setting standards every bit required, failed to verify the qualifications of applicants it sanctioned to treat sex activity offenders and did not adequately investigate complaints against treatment providers, The Colorado Springs Gazette reported.

The audit also plant that in 2018 through 2019, nine board members "had actual conflicts or situations that created the appearance of a conflict that were not disclosed and did not foreclose them from performing official deportment."

Officials in the state Department of Public Safe, which oversees the 25-fellow member board, said during a legislative hearing Tuesday that they were addressing the problems identified in the audit, but legislators said they were skeptical.

The lath has received complaints in recent years, with civil rights advocates and legislators arguing they should not require depression-level sex offenders to proceed taking polygraphs or bar even immature juvenile offenders from living with their siblings.

"I'd take greater hope if these issues had non been languishing for many years," Republican state Sen. Paul Lundeen said, adding that the board has received complaints since 2015 and has shown it was resistant to change.

The lath is still working on how to ensure members with experience in sexual practice offender management, such as polygraphers and therapists, could serve on the lath and provide expertise while not violating state laws meant to prevent financial conflicts of interest, said Chris Lobanov-Rostovsky, the liaison within the land's public safety department to the lath.

Lobanov-Rostovsky said the lath has asked for guidance from the state chaser full general'due south office, and consultant, Yuma County Commissioner Trent Bushner, had helped craft new conflict-of-involvement policies.