I once asked a psychiatrist friend, "What works in the treatment of sex offenders?" He replied he did not know, but he could tell me what doesn't work. Though prison officials claim great success for their program, they are relying on self-studies. According to one of them, those that had treatment returned to prison for a sex offense less than those that had no treatment. That's like the thesis I did to complete graduate school. It was a study to determine the value of social workers in a surgical ward. I proved that they were valuable, and guess who was the social worker?

Corrections might find more efficient ways to carry out its mission rather than building a backlog for its treatment program. At the same time, judges and the Board of Pardons must also re-evaluate their treatment recommendations. Perhaps money could best be used to provide the courts with better assessments in the sentencing of offenders. Who is to say that incarcerating some sex offenders for a short time, as a shock, and then retuning them to their communities with intensive supervision might not be more effective? Especially offenders who are established members of their communities where the shame could provide valuable social control. In addition, the development of new drugs to manage and alter human behavior is now showing promise in dealing with addictions and compulsions prevalent in sex offenders. Rather than putting out more money for therapy, maybe it could best be used to pay more, and hire more, correctional officers to manage offenders in prison and in the community. Last, but not least, why not give all of the collected restitution money to victims, instead of corrections taking a portion for its administration.

Maybe the $10 tool rather than the $50 one might work just as well.

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Utah native John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations, served on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch and on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards. He also has been deputy assistant secretary of labor. E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net