<p>
	A multi-agency body set up to manage convicted sex offenders in the community can only monitor a small percentage of them because of data protection limitations and lack of legal powers.</p>
<p>
	The leaders of the unit &mdash; which brings together the garda&iacute;, the Probation Service, and the HSE &mdash; said it was &ldquo;restricted&rdquo; in what it can achieve. They also said their biggest problem was the lack of accommodation to house offenders.</p>
<p>
	The Sex Offender Risk Assessment and Management system was set up to manage the risk posed to the community by convicted sex offenders, especially those assessed as high profile and/or posing a high risk of reoffending.</p>
<p>
	A report published by the National SORAM Committee provides little- publicised details on convicted sex offenders, which combines those who currently are subject to reporting requirements to garda&iacute;, those no longer subject, and those in custody. It shows:</p>
<p>
	* The total number of convicted sex offenders has increased from around 1,500 in 2008 to 2,400 in 2013;</p>
<p>
	* The number of offenders on reporting requirements has risen from around 1,100 to almost 1,300;</p>
<p>
	* Only 12% of the 1,300 (156) are subject to supervision by the Probation Service.</p>
<p>
	Writing in the Irish Probation Journal, the authors said SORAM was working. Offenders were being managed on a &ldquo;day-to-day basis&rdquo; and there was &ldquo;effective communication&rdquo; between all the agencies.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;SORAM pools resources that previously worked in parallel and were largely disconnected,&rdquo; the report said.</p>
<p>
	However, the report &mdash; written by Mark Wilson of the Probation Service, retired detective superintendent John McCann, and Robert Templeton of the HSE &mdash; said there were serious structural problems.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Without underpinning legislation, the SORAM model is limited to dealing with offenders who are both subject to the notification requirements of Part 2 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001 and under the supervision of the Probation Service,&rdquo; said the report.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Other sex offenders cannot be included due to data protection limitations. As such, the SORAM model is restricted in what it can achieve.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	The authors said the &ldquo;most recurring and enduring barriers&rdquo; to managing offenders in the community was the absence of accommodation for sex offenders.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Indeed, for higher-profile or higher-need offenders &mdash; including those assessed as not capable or living independently &mdash; there continues to be serious public safety issues requiring resolution,&rdquo; said the report.</p>
<p>
	The report said that, for SORAM to be effective at a local level, interventions targeting offender&rsquo;s internal controls were needed. It said this included treatment, constructive daytime activities, measures to tackle social isolation as well as mental health and addiction issues.</p>
<p>
	http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/report-sex-offenders-system-restrictive-262973.html</p>
