A written admission procedure must be established that includes the determination of the appropriateness of the client by reviewing the client's condition and need for treatment, the treatment services offered by the program, and other available resources. This procedure must be coordinated with the external, nonclinical conditions required by the legal, correctional, and administrative systems within which the program operates. An intake assessment procedure must also be established that determines the client's functioning and treatment needs. All clients referred to a residential adult sex offender treatment program must have a written intake assessment completed within the first 30 days of admission to the program.
The clinical supervisor must direct qualified staff to gather the requisite information during the intake assessment process and any subsequent reassessments. The staff who conduct the intake assessment must be trained and experienced in the administration and interpretation of sex offender assessments.
A program may adapt the parameters specified in subparts 6 to 8 to conduct assessments that are appropriate to the program's basic treatment protocol. The rationale for the particular adaptation must be provided in the program policy and procedures manual as specified under part 2965.0140, subpart 1, item E.
At the discretion of the clinical supervisor or treatment team, a full or partial reassessment may be conducted to formally document changes in the client's progress in treatment, movement within the structure of the program, receipt or loss of privileges, and discharge from the program.
Assessments must take into consideration the effects of cultural context, ethnicity, race, social class, and geographic location on the personality, identity, and behavior of the client.
Sources of data may include:
collateral information, such as police reports, victim statements, child protection information, presentence sex offender assessments, presentence investigations, and delinquent and criminal history;
sex offender-specific test information, including psychophysiological measurement of deception and sexual response;
previous and concurrent assessments of the client, including chemical dependency, psychological, educational, and vocational;
interviews, telephone conversations, or other communication with the client's family members, friends, victims, witnesses, probation officers, and police; and
observation and evaluation of the client's functioning and participation in the treatment process while in residency.
The assessment must include, but is not limited to, baseline information about the following dimensions, as appropriate:
a description of the client's conviction or adjudication offense, noting the facts of the criminal complaint, the clients description of the offense, any discrepancies between the client's and the official or victim's description of the offense, and the assessor's conclusion about the reasons for any discrepancies in the information;
the client's history of perpetration of sexually abusive and criminal sexual behavior and delineation of patterns of sexual response that considers such variables as:
the number and types of known and reported sexually abusive and criminal sexual behaviors committed by the client;
the number, age, sex, relationship to client, and other relevant characteristics of the victims;
the type of injury to the victims and the impact of the sexually abusive or criminal sexual behavior on the victims;
the role of chemical use prior to, during, and after any sexually abusive and criminal sexual behaviors;
the degree of impulsivity and compulsivity, including any attempts by the client to control or eliminate offensive behaviors, including previous treatment;
use of cognitive distortions, thinking errors, and criminal thinking in justifying, rationalizing, and supporting the sexually abusive and criminal sexual behaviors;
the reported degree of sexual arousal or response prior to, during, and after any sexually abusive and criminal sexual behaviors;
a profile of sexual arousal or response, including any paraphilic or sexually abusive fantasies, desires, and behaviors;
the degree of denial and minimization, degree of remorse and guilt regarding the offense, and degree of empathy for the victim expressed by the client; and
the client's developmental sexual history that considers such variables as:
childhood and adolescent learning about sexuality, patterns of sexual interest, and sexual play;
the views and perceptions of significant others, including their ability or willingness to support any treatment efforts;
the findings from any previous and concurrent sex offender, psychological, psychiatric, physiological, medical, educational, vocational, or other assessments; and
identification of factors that may inhibit as well as contribute to the commission of offensive behavior that may constitute significant aspects of the client's offense cycle and their current level of influence on the client.
Where possible, psychological tests and assessments of adaptive behavior, adaptive skills, and developmental functioning used in sex offender intake assessments must be standardized and normed for the given population tested. The results of the tests must be interpreted by a qualified person who is trained and experienced in the interpretation of the tests. The results may not be used as the only or the major source of risk assessment.
The conclusions and recommendations of the intake assessment must be based on the information obtained during the assessment. The clinical supervisor must convene a treatment team meeting to review the findings and develop the assessment conclusions and recommendations.
The interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations described in the report must show consideration of the:
strengths and limitations of self-reported information and demonstration of reasonable efforts to verify information provided by the client; and
The interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations described in the assessment report must:
note any issues or questions that exceed the level of knowledge in the field or the expertise of the assessor; and
address the issues necessary for appropriate decision making regarding treatment and reoffense risk factors.
The assessment report must be based on the conclusions and recommendations of the treatment team review. One qualified sex offender treatment staff person who is also a team member must be responsible for the integration and completion of the written report, which is signed and dated and placed in the client's file. The report must include at least the following areas:
an initial assessment of the factors that both protect and place the client at risk for unsuccessful completion of the program and sexual reoffense;
a conclusion regarding the appropriateness of the client for placement in the program:
if residential sex offender treatment is determined to be inappropriate, a recommendation for alternative placement or treatment is provided; or
if residential sex offender treatment is determined to be appropriate, the report must present:
an outline of the client's treatment needs and the treatment goals and strategies to address those needs;
recommendations, as appropriate, for the client's needs for services in adjunctive areas such as health, chemical dependency, education, vocational skills, recreation, and leisure activities;
a note of any concurrent psychological or psychiatric disorders, their potential impact on the treatment process, and suggested remedial strategies; and
recommendations, as appropriate, for additional assessments or necessary collateral information, referral, or consultation.
MS s 241.67
23 SR 1997
October 8, 2007
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes