Colorado Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB)
The Colorado Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB), who makes decisions about and regulates the Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) in Denver, Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Larimer, and Weld County, consists of 25 members. It is structured to include an accurate representation of urban and rural areas around Englewood, Arvada, Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Aurora, and the Denver-Metro area and include an even mix of experts that deal with both juveniles and adults that commit sex offenses like Unlawful Sexual Contact (CRS 18-3-404), Sexual Exploitation of a Child (CRS 18-6-403) and Aggravated Incest (18-6-301).
Members of the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board:
The SOMB board includes:
- One representative of the Judicial department
- One District Court Judge
- One juvenile Court Judge or Magistrate
- One representative of the Department of Corrections
- One person from the Department of Human Services who has recognizable expertise in child welfare and case management
- One person in the Division of youth corrections in the Department of Human Services[pullquote align=”right” textalign=”right” width=”40%”]If facing accusations or charges of a sex offense and are researching the consequences of a conviction, contact us for a free consultation. We'll give you an overview of your case.[/pullquote]
- One provider of Out of Home Placement Services who has recognizable expertise in providing services to juveniles who have committed sex offenses
- One person who represents the Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Public Safety
- Two people who are licensed mental health professionals with recognizable expertise in the treatment of adult sex offenders and two licensed mental health professionals who have recognizable expertise with juveniles who have committed sexual offenses
- One person who is a member of the community corrections board
- One public defender who has recognizable expertise related to sex offenses
- One person who represents the law enforcement with recognizable expertise related to sex offenses and victimization
- Three people who are recognized experts in the field of sexual abuse and who can represent sexual abuse victims and victims' rights organizations
- One person who is a clinical polygraph examiner
- One person who is a private criminal defense attorney with recognizable expertise related to sexual offenses
- One person who is a county director of social services, appointed after consultation with a statewide group representing counties
- One person who represents the interests of prosecuting attorneys and who has recognizable expertise prosecuting sexual offenses
- One person who has experiences with juveniles who have committed sexual offenses and who are in the public school system
Why Was the Sex Offender Management Board Created?
The Board was created to put standards in place that would accurately and universally assess, evaluate, treat, and monitor the behavior of sex offenders. The people on this board are responsible for devising a standard treatment program for adult and juvenile sex offenders and are responsible for setting the guidelines that identify and evaluate adult and juvenile sex offenders. They decide on risk assessment screening instruments and establish the criteria used to measure the effectiveness of the sex offender treatment. The board looks at where a sex offender lives and makes recommendations for possible relocation if they live close to schools or if there are children in their house.
Monitor Behavior
These are just some of the duties related to the Sex Offender Management Board, but their overall goal is to monitor behavior of the sex offender. Monitor basically means they are entitled to every bit of information about the offender and will control that information as best as they can. Privacy and anonymity are gone. The Board believes that all sex offenses should be treated equally, because they all result from the same deviant thought patterns which could escalate into something more serious if not treated harshly enough in the beginning. They implement a “no cure” treatment program that will include aftercare and monitoring for years.