Social Work Commons^™

Moving Beyond A Protective Approach To Stopping Sexual Violence Of People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Katie Crowell, Jenni Elwer, Beatrice Makori, Laura Schultz

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have some of the highest rates of sexual violence of any group—at least 7 times the rate for people without disabilities. (6) Attempts to alleviate this problem have been unsuccessful and based on the Medical Model of Disability, which views people with I/DD as inherently vulnerable and in need only of protection. Viewing people with I/DD as inherently vulnerable further stigmatizes them and increases dependency on others, instead of fostering capabilities and independence. Minnesota needs to move beyond taking a protective “recognize, report, and respond” approach, to taking a comprehensive approach to sexual …

Civil Commitment And Sex Offenders, Ashley Pederson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Currently there is insufficient training for staff at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) about the civil commitment process of sex offenders. Thus, the purpose of this Capstone Project is to educate current MSOP staff about the history and important markers that have contributed to the current civil commitment law in Minnesota. Conducting trainings and educating staff are important for maintaining and enhancing the therapeutic environment for clients.¹⁵ Therefore, I hypothesize that educating staff about sex offender’s civil commitment will enhance staff knowledge, thus contributing to the quality of the therapeutic relationships and environment at MSOP.

Paraphilias: Relevant Factors For Treatment Providers Of Sexual Offenders, Darren Tungsvik

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

• To educate clinical staff at MSOP of Paraphilic disorders and their factors related to the treatment of sexual offenders.
• Contribute to MSOP’s mission of promoting public safety through providing comprehensive treatment and reintegration opportunities for civilly committed sexual offenders.
• Need exists at MSOP with a lack of educational training materials for clinical staff of Paraphilic disorders and their treatment.

Comparison Of Minnesota's Community-Based Jail Reentry Programs, Lori A. Sanborn

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project is to begin to compare and analyze explicitly what services each community-based reentry program in Minnesota provides. Through a presentation of the data collected and in a written report, the key findings of the project were presented to the CARE Program’s Coordinator and the Director of the South Central Human Relations Center of current practices throughout Minnesota in order to improve staff efficiency and increase the success rate of client outcomes.

Evaluation Of The Best Program, Rana Wehner

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to analyze the effectiveness of the BEST program. Parents/caregivers of youth involved in the BEST program were surveyed to evaluate to what extent the BEST program is achieving their goals. It was hypothesized that participation in the BEST program would result in positive family outcomes, as defined by – needs being met, increased family empowerment, and improved access to resources.

A Meta-Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Sex Offender Residential Restrictions To Recidivism, Cheryl Kack

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to review the empirical research studies pertaining to the enactment of sex offender residency restrictions and its impact on recidivism. The intended purpose for residency restrictions is to limit the distance an offender can reside in proximity to schools, parks, playgrounds and daycare facilities. These residency restrictions were implemented as a safe guard to prevent sex offenders from residing in close proximity to where children typically gather (Chajewski & Mercado, 2009; During, 2006; Melroy, Miller & Curtis, 2008; Mercado, Alvarez & Levenson, 2008; Zgoba, Levenson & McKee, 2009). There has been a limited number …