C enter For S ex O ffender M anagement

A Project of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Time to Work: Managing the Employment of

Sex Offenders Under Community Supervision

January 2002

Introduction

Structured, full-time employment is a 

cornerstone of nearly all community 

supervision programs for offenders, especially 

for sex offenders. Most offenders who are 

released into the community after their 

conviction are required to find and maintain 

suitable work. However, acquiring 

appropriate employment for sex offenders 

presents formidable obstacles. Many 

employers are reluctant to hire sex offenders 

because of the stigma that follows them, and 

most sex offenders are restricted by special 

conditions of their supervision. Community 

supervision officers also face difficult 

challenges; they must monitor carefully sex 

offenders in their work-related activities to 

ensure they do not have opportunities to 

reoffend. This monitoring is a demanding 

task as job activities can account for nearly

60 percent of an employee’s waking hours 

each week (when factoring in preparation and 

travel time).1 A substantial amount of time 

and effort therefore is required to supervise 

effectively sex offenders in their employment. 

Supervision agencies must determine how to 

manage sex offenders on the job in a way 

that adequately restricts offenders, protects 

the public, and simultaneously promotes 

successful offender reintegration.

 

1

 According to the U.S Department of Labor, hours for 

American workers increased during the past two decades 

(U.S. Department of Labor, 1999), with most male 

workers averaging 43.2 hours per week on the job 

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1999).

This paper discusses critical issues in the 

management of sex offender employment, 

including:

• assessing potential job placements;

• approaching the job search process;

• making sound job placement decisions; 

• developing relationships with employers; 

and

• monitoring sex offenders’ job-related 

activities.

This paper also examines research findings on 

the subject of offender employment and the 

importance of employment in the sex 

offender’s life.

The Importance of Work

Research has shown that meaningful 

employment can provide a stabilizing 

influence by involving offenders in pro-social 

activities and assisting them in structuring 

their time, improving their self-esteem, and 

meeting their financial obligations (Curtis and 

Schulman, 1984).

The Research on Offenders and Work

During the past 20 years, research on 

recidivism of the general criminal population 

identified a history of unstable employment as 

one of the factors that consistently is 

associated with subsequent criminal behavior 

(Gendreau, Little, and Goggin, 1996).

Established in June 1997, CSOM’s goal is to enhance public safety by preventing further victimization through improving the 

management of adult and juvenile sex offenders who are in the community. A collaborative effort of the Office of Justice Programs, the 

National Institute of Corrections, the State Justice Institute, and the American Probation and Parole Association, CSOM is administered 

by the Center for Effective Public Policy.
2

Although the factors associated with 

recidivism of sex offenders in particular are 

not yet completely known,2 several recent 

studies suggest a link between sex offenders’ 

employment status and reoffense rates. In 

one study of dynamic factors3 associated with 

recidivism, data were collected on more than 

400 sex offenders. The researchers found 

that those who committed subsequent sexual 

offenses were more likely to be unemployed 

(Hanson and Harris, 1998). Another study 

revealed that the only factors associated with 

reduced reoffending among sex offenders 

were the combination of stable employment 

and sex offender treatment (Kruttshnitt, 

Uggen, and Shelton, 2000). In this study, 

researchers found that sex offenders who had 

stable employment at the time of their 

sentencing were 37 percent less likely to be 

convicted for a new crime than those whose 

employment histories were not as stable. 

Such findings suggest that stable employment 

is a contributing factor in helping reduce sex 

offender recidivism.

Employment: A Critical Element in Community 

Supervision

Sex offenders are different from most other 

offenders under community supervision. In 

many ways, they more often resemble the 

general population—that is, they more often 

have families, are well educated, and have 

stable employment histories (prior to their 

convictions). However, it is this very 

paradox—that sex offenders often lead dual 

lives—that requires a unique approach to their 

supervision in the community.

Traditional supervision practices (e.g., 

scheduled office visits and periodic phone 

contacts) are not sufficient to manage sex 

offenders. To enhance community protection, 

more specialized and varied supervision 

methods are needed to assist sex offenders to 

develop offense -free lifestyles, including 

 

2

 For further discussion of the research on recidivism, see 

the Center for Sex Offender Management’s Recidivism of 

Sex Offenders (May 2001).

3

 Dynamic factors are those characteristics, 

circumstances, and attitudes that change throughout 

one’s life, such as drug or alcohol use, attitude (e.g., lack 

of remorse, victim blaming), and intimacy problems.

conditions such as specialized sex offender 

treatment, restricted contact with past and 

potential victims, periodic polygraph 

examinations, no Internet access, and other 

specific restrictions that help diminish the 

likelihood of reoffense. Only through close 

monitoring and ongoing communication 

among those involved in supervising and 

Supervising the Employment of Sex Offenders: 

Key Elements

Employment Assessment

• Skills and abilities

• Education and training

• Nature of offense

• Victimization pattern

• Suitability of different jobs

Job Search Plan

• Individual job search strategy

• Determination of suitable job types

• Approval of commuting plans

• Referral to community employment resources 

Job Search Activities

• Identification of employment opportunities

• Contact with potential employers

• Employment interviews

• Follow-up with employers after interviews

Job Offer

• Employer contact and job offer verification

• Employer notification of offense and 

supervision status

• Relationship building and employer education

• Assessment of job suitability

• Worksite assessment

• Victim access assessment

• On-the-job supervision assessment

When Job Is Approved

• Review of work schedule

• Confirmation of commuting plan

• Relationship building between supervision 

officer and employer

• Community supervision plan

• Explanation of treatment obligation

• Monitoring and follow-up plan

Monitoring and Follow-Up Activities

• Regular contact with employer

• Continued relationship building with 

employer

• Performance assessment

• On-site and telephone checks

• Job counseling and intervention as needed
3

treating offenders can the secrecy, 

manipulation, and deception that characterize 

sex offending behavior be monitored and 

addressed.

Managing the job-related activities of sex 

offenders is therefore a critically important 

component of an intensive community 

supervision strategy for sex offenders.4 

Special conditions of supervision, when 

ordered by the court or supervision agency, 

are perhaps the most effective method of 

imposing external controls on sex offenders. 

Typically, special conditions of sex offender 

supervision include participation in treatment, 

no victim contact, no contact with children, 

no use of drugs or alcohol, and an approved 

living arrangement. In addition to these 

common conditions, some examples of 

special employment conditions that relate to 

particular offenders’ offense patterns might 

include among the following:

• Prior to the offender’s first day of 

employment, the employer must be made 

aware of the offender’s probation or 

parole status, the nature of his or her 

offense, and conditions of supervision.

• The offender must allow ongoing 

communication between the supervision 

officer and the employer.

• Travel time and route to and from work, 

and mode of transportation, must be 

approved.

• An adult must supervise the offender at 

all times at work.

• The offender must remain at the approved 

worksite during work hours.

• The offender must not have on-the-job 

contact with particular populations (e.g., 

minors).

 

4

 Probation and parole agencies in New Haven, 

Connecticut, Maricopa County, Arizona, and Vermont, 

have implemented specialized supervision initiatives that 

address employment matters. For more information 

about these sites, see Case Studies on the Center for Sex 

Offender Management’s National Resource Sites, 2nd

Edition (April 2001).

• Any travel in the community associated 

with the job must be approved and

supervised.

• Treatment sessions cannot be missed 

because of employment obligations.

• The use of technology (e.g., computers, 

the Internet, cameras, or camcorders) on 

the job must be approved by the 

supervising agency.

Assessing Potential Job 

Placements

Although employment is critical to an 

offender’s stability, certain types of 

employment are not appropriate for sex 

offenders. In all cases, supervision officers 

should seek the input of treatment providers 

to determine appropriateness of an 

employment situation. Initially, supervision 

officers and treatment providers may not have 

a clear understanding of an offender’s risk 

factors. Therefore, sex offenders should not 

hold jobs that give them authority over 

potential victims (including coworkers or 

subordinates), or work in service industry jobs 

that give them access to vulnerable 

populations, or in settings that may be near a 

school or playground. Positions that may 

provide sex offenders with unsupervised 

access to potential victims include:

• security guard;

• hotel worker;

• nurse or nurse’s aide;

• doctor or dentist;

• mental health therapist or social worker;

• hospital, nursing home, or assisted living 

center employee;

• child care worker;

• homeless shelter employee;

• limousine, taxi, or bus driver;

• manager of a restaurant or a retail 

establishment;

• residential or recreational building 

employee;

• building supervisor; and
4

• teacher, instructor, or teacher’s aide.5

As the supervision officer and treatment 

provider learn more about an offender’s risk 

factors, certain types of employment that 

would otherwise appear high-risk, may be 

deemed appropriate. However, f or 

community supervision officers, making 

decisions about job placements is not always 

as clear-cut as simply limiting offenders to 

specific types of work. Although it may be 

appropriate for supervising officers to take a 

very prescriptive approach to employment 

restrictions with high-risk sex offenders, they 

may unnecessarily limit suitable work for 

other offenders. Additionally, supervision 

officers may not carefully investigate jobs that 

are initially viewed as appropriate for the 

offender. For example, although a 

supermarket clerk position seems appropriate, 

a parole officer’s inspection of the worksite 

might reveal that the market’s parking lot is a 

teen gathering spot. In such a case, 

supervision officers should consult with the 

offender’s treatment provider for additional 

information about the offender’s offense cycle 

and potential relapse triggers in order to make 

decisions about the appropriateness of the job 

site.6 Thorough assessment of prospective 

working environments can help avoid these 

situations and thus, potentially avert a 

relapse. Case -by-case assessment of 

offenders, their relapse triggers (through 

consultation with their treatment providers), 

and their job placements provide a more 

realistic understanding of the suitability of 

certain jobs for specific offenders.

Assessing Offenders and Potential Jobs

The initial intake of a sex offender should 

include an assessment of the offender’s 

employment potential, including such factors 

as the offender’s employment history, skills 

and abilities, education, and training. The 

supervising officer also should consider such 

public safety factors as the nature of the 

 

5

 Partially drawn from Westchester County, New York, 

Department of Probation’s Employment Handout (1998).

6 The sexual offense cycle is defined as the pattern of 

specific thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that often lead 

up to and immediately follow the acting out of sexual 

deviance.

individual's prior offense(s); the offender’s 

treatment provider can provide additional 

information about other risk and needs factors 

to consider.

As well as assessing the offender, the 

supervising officer must evaluate potential 

employment placements to determine their 

suitability. Aspects of an offender’s potential 

employment that must be considered include 

the following:7

• Type of job—Does the job itself give the 

offender access to potential victims?

• Type of coworkers and subordinates—

With whom does the offender work (e.g., 

minors, women, other sex offenders)?

• Job location—Does the physical work 

location present particular risks (e.g., 

working near a playground)?

• Travel to or on the job—Does travel take 

the offender near high-risk areas (e.g., 

schools)? If the job requires traveling, can

all sites be monitored reasonably? 

• Duration of the job—Is the job of short 

duration? Is the offender consistently 

employed in short-term jobs? Do these 

jobs provide the offender with an 

opportunity for high-risk behavior (the 

employer may not be as familiar with the 

offender or have less of a vested 

interested in supervising a short-term 

employee)? Can high-risk factors be 

monitored or investigated in a timely 

manner? (For example, day labor presents 

monitoring difficulties because of the 

constantly changing worksites, tasks, and 

employers. Self-employment also poses 

serious problems because it is hard to 

verify and account for the offender’s 

work.)

• Work hours—Do scheduled work hours 

put the offender at risk of reoffending?

• Level of job supervision—Does the 

employer provide the offender sufficient 

 

7

 Adapted from Westchester County, NY Department of 

Probation.
5

Guidelines for Building Partnerships With 

Employers

Be:

• Friendly, honest, discreet, and professional.

Solicit: 

• Support, assistance, and input. 

Provide:

• Support, assistance, and information.

Explain:

• Your role and the goals of your agency.

• How you will help the offender to be a 

responsible employee.

• The offender’s supervision and treatment 

requirements.

• The nature of the offender’s current 

conviction.

• What information you will need.

• How to contact you immediately.

• Employer incentives (e.g., tax credits, 

bonding).

Promote:

• The offender’s skills and abilities.

• Your agency’s mission.

• Community safety.

Get to know:

• The employer and the worksite.

• The offender’s job responsibilities.

• The offender’s transportation plan.

Agree to:

• Keep the employer informed of the 

offender’s adjustment as it may relate to 

his employment.

• A regular schedule and method of checking 

in with the employer.

• Help the client succeed on the job.

Do not:

• Expect the employer to initiate contacts.

• Expect the employer to disrupt the 

workplace on behalf of an individual 

employee or criminal justice agency.

job supervision so that his or her behavior 

and activities are closely monitored? 

• Willingness of the employer to 

communicate with the supervision 

agency—Does the employer agree to 

provide the supervising agency with 

information about the offender’s workrelated behavior (e.g., if employed by a 

family member, employer may help 

conceal high-risk behavior)?

• Access to technology—Does the job give 

the offender unsupervised access to 

technological equipment that offers 

opportunities for inappropriate behavior 

(such as Internet access to child 

pornography or chat rooms utilized by 

adolescents)?

• Compliance with other supervision 

conditions—Does the job give the 

offender access to alcohol, drugs, 

pornography, or other risk factors?

Establishing Relationships With 

Employers

It is not the employers’ role to provide 

criminal justice supervision to sex offenders 

they employ. However, prospective 

employers can assist supervision agencies in 

determining the suitability of specific positions 

before making employment decisions and 

offer important information about offenders’ 

behavior in the workplace once they are hired. 

In the process, they can help reduce the 

ability of offenders to circumvent the goals of 

community supervision and treatment. 

Community supervision officers must actively 

seek out partnerships with employers and 

maintain regular communication with them in 

order to ensure the sharing of appropriate 

information. To be effective, partnerships 

should be established before job placements 

are approved. Solidifying partnerships early is 

also an important step in reducing offenders’ 

ability to manipulate the relationship between 

employers and supervising officers. 
6

Approaching Employers

When approaching employers about 

employing a sex offender, some may be wary 

when they learn about the nature of an 

offender’s convictions and probation or parole 

status (Albright and Denq, 1996). 

Nonetheless, employers do hire sex offenders 

who are on community supervision, 

particularly when they receive the necessary 

support and assistance from the criminal 

justice system. Sex offenders can be reliable 

employees.

Potential employers should be informed by 

supervision officers about the nature of the 

offender’s conviction, the role and goals of 

community supervision, relevant conditions of 

supervision and treatment requirements, and 

any expectations the supervision agency may 

have about subsequent contacts.8 Knowing 

that an offender is under supervision and 

involved in treatment may reduce some 

employers’ initial anxiety (some employers 

may find that closely monitored offenders are 

very dependable). Learning about an 

offender’s work skills, the educational or 

vocational training received while 

incarcerated, or about government incentives 

for which the employer is eligible (such as tax 

 

8

 Many states grant immunity for good faith conduct 

when disclosing sex offender registration information. 

However, state laws regarding the release of details 

about an offender’s conviction vary. In order to avoid 

potential legal problems, it is wise to obtain a waiver of 

confidentiality and/or legal advice before releasing 

information about a specific offender.

credits and bonding) may also influence 

employers’ attitudes about hiring an offender 

(Albright and Denq, 1996). Additionally, 

supervision officers can inform employers that 

they are available to assist with the offender’s 

work-related problems.

Using Waivers

Allowing supervision officers to share 

offender information with those who “need to 

know” is a critical part of community 

supervision. Although recent legislation 

authorizes public disclosure of sex offenders’ 

identities,9 some supervision agencies release 

information only after the offender signs a 

waiver of confidentiality. Such waivers allow 

supervision officers to establish open 

Tax Credits and Federal Bonding

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), 

authorized by the Small Business Job 

Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-188), is a 

federal tax credit that encourages employers to 

hire job seekers by reducing employers’ federal 

income tax liability by as much as $2,400 per 

qualified new worker. The Federal Bonding 

Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of 

Labor, allows employers to purchase fidelity 

bonds to cover them for loss of money or 

property sustained through the dishonest acts 

of their employees. The bond serves as an 

incentive to an employer to hire an offender by 

alleviating the risk of worker dishonesty on the 

job. 

Sample Confidentiality Waiver Form

I, _______________, understand that personal 

information concerning me is gathered in the 

course of my participation in the community 

supervision program. I hereby waive my rights 

of confidentiality when the program discloses 

this information in the process of obtaining and 

maintaining employment, training, education, 

treatment services, and a sponsor for me. I 

further understand that this information may be 

made available to the head of the household of 

any home I visit while on home visitation pass. 

I understand that the program has the 

responsibility and right to decide the nature and 

extent of information concerning me to be 

released in the above circumstances. 

I have read, or have had read to me, the 

above waiver of confidentiality, and hereby 

waive any right or claim that I may have against 

the county, city, or state and its employees for 

the release or disclosure of such information for 

the purposes stated above. This confidentiality 

waiver terminates after my discharge from the 

program.

Participant Date

Witness Date
7

communication with individuals and agencies 

involved with the offender’s supervision, such 

as employers. In some cases, the offender 

must agree to this disclosure as a special 

condition of supervision.

Supervision agencies must have all waivers 

thoroughly reviewed by their legal advisors. 

Some supervision agencies prefer “third party 

liability” waivers to notify employers of an 

offender’s criminal conviction and status of 

supervision.10 A third party waiver allows a 

supervision agency to formally notify a 

prospective employer, in writing, of the 

offender’s conviction and supervision status 

and requires the employer to assume liability 

for the offender while on the job. Some 

agencies use these waivers only with their 

highest risk cases.

Using Community Resources to Facilitate the 

Job Search Process

Although some criminal justice agencies 

provide employment and training services to 

offenders directly, many develop partnerships 

with community-based programs that help 

offenders prepare for or locate employment. 

Job readiness, career decision-making, and 

job placement assistance services are 

provided in most jurisdictions through work 

force development boards, state job service 

offices, community colleges, and welfare-towork offices. In addition, many jurisdictions 

have established “one-stop employment 

centers,”11 which offer a range of 

employment counseling services to individuals 

seeking to enter or re-enter the work force. 

By establishing alliances with these programs, 

supervision agencies can increase services 

and provide expertise to offenders during their 

job search process while freeing supervision 

officers to perform other important duties.

 

9

 Also referred to as Megan’s Law or community 

notification. See Center for Sex Offender Management, 

Community Notification and Education (May 2001).

10 Focus group of state and federal probation officers, 

NIC Academy Offender Employment Specialists Training 

Seminar, October 1999, Longmont, Colorado.

11 The federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

mandated communities to develop one-stop employment 

centers by July 1, 2000. The act authorizes the 

restructuring of job training funding and the delivery of 

employment and training services in local communities.

Supervision agencies, however, must keep in 

mind that most staff at these communitybased programs have little expertise in dealing 

with sex offenders. Therefore, supervision 

agencies should take responsibility for 

providing supplemental assistance on relevant 

sex offender-specific issues. For example, 

traditional job readiness classes focus on jobseeking techniques, resume writing, and job 

interview skills; some also offer job placement 

assistance. Although these basic skills are 

important, it is equally necessary that 

offenders receive guidance on such matters 

as how to provide offense or conviction 

information, disclose their supervision status 

to an employer, and explain their conditions of 

supervision and treatment. Preparing 

offenders to respond to these difficult but 

inevitable employer inquiries may aid them in 

obtaining a job.

Making Job Placement Decisions

The following considerations should be 

evaluated when approving jobs for sex 

offenders:

• Community needs—Those making job 

placement and approval decisions must 

consider public safety at all times. 

Supervising officers should approve jobs 

only when they provide well-supervised 

environments or environments that will 

not give offenders opportunities to 

reoffend.

• Supervision program needs—Many 

community supervision programs are 

highly structured and require regular 

treatment meetings, weekly drug tests, 

community spot checks, employment 

verifications, and other conditions. 

Supervising officers should ensure that 

these essential requirements can be met 

with minimal disruption to employment.

• Employer needs—Employers want honest, 

dependable, productive employees who 

are capable of performing their job duties. 

They require workers who appropriately 

interact with others and integrate well 

into the workplace. 
8

• Offender needs—Offenders should have 

reasonable input into the employment 

process. If an offender is unhappy with 

his or her position, it eventually may lead 

to problems on the job. Offenders may 

have other support-based needs as well, 

such as transportation, childcare, legal 

problems, and health care. Meeting 

offenders’ employment needs will likely 

lead to more successful employment 

outcomes and increased rates of job 

retention. Public safety, treatment, and 

supervision considerations, however, 

must outweigh what offenders want and 

need.

Striking a balance between competing 

interests may not always satisfy offenders, 

but responsible decision-making will ensure 

suitable job placements that meet the needs 

of the community.

Coordinating Employment and Community 

Treatment

Care should be taken to arrange offender 

treatment before or after work hours, or in 

such a way that it has minimal impact on the 

offender’s work schedule. Most employers 

will allow employees to take time off for a 

treatment session, as long as it does not 

interfere with the job. It often is helpful for 

supervising officers to briefly confirm 

treatment appointments with employers if 

offenders need to take time from their normal 

work schedule.

Seeking Reasonable Wages

It is important that supervision officers 

attempt to place offenders in positions in 

which they can earn reasonable wages. Their 

earnings when possible must be sufficient to 

Case Study: Mark, the Technician

Mark, a 34-year-old office equipment repair technician, was placed on parole after serving a 7-year 

sentence for first-degree sexual assault; for attacking women on jogging paths. During his prison term, Mark 

did not participate in many counseling programs, but he excelled as a clerk in the prison law library and took 

several courses in computer repair. Because of his skills and because he recently renewed his driver’s license 

and owned a car and a set of tools, Mark easily could earn more than $40,000 per year.

Mark’s previous employer offered to rehire him as a field technician, but he would have to travel to offices 

to repair business machines. The employer did not want to know any details about Mark’s “problem,” he 

only wanted him back to work quickly. 

Mark’s parole officer refused to approve Mark’s request to return to the job the way it was structured. 

Mark was upset and accused the parole officer of ruining his livelihood and making things tough for him. The 

parole officer agreed to explore options with Mark and called the employer to arrange a meeting. During the 

meeting with the employer and Mark, the parole officer explained his role. He indicated that while he was 

trying to assist with Mark’s successful reintegration into the community, he could not give him unsupervised 

mobility or allow him unsupervised access to women in office buildings. He then asked Mark to briefly 

explain the circumstances of his conviction to the employer. The parole officer added that Mark was 

participating in weekly therapy sessions and receiving maximum supervision. Although the parole officer did 

not guarantee that Mark would not cause further problems, he indicated that with therapy, intensive 

supervision, and a suitable job, Mark’s chances of reintegrating into society were much improved.

The employer better understood the parole officer’s concerns about Mark going into the field 

unsupervised, but he still wanted Mark to return to work. During the meeting at the worksite, the parole 

officer noticed a large shop in which bench technicians were working on equipment. He asked if Mark could 

work as a bench technician instead of as a field technician. It was less money and a step down in status, but 

it met Mark’s needs. It also provided the employer with a skilled worker and met the parole officer’s 

supervision requirements because it was a well-supervised worksite with minimal mobility. The employer 

agreed to hire Mark as a bench technician. 

At the end of the meeting, the parole officer asked if Mark could leave work by 3:00 p.m. on Thursdays to 

attend his mandatory therapy appointment. The employer agreed that Mark could do so as long as he made 

up the hours. 
9

support basic living needs (e.g., housing, 

food, and transportation). In addition, sex 

offenders often are required to pay courtordered restitution to victims, child support, 

or medical fees related to the crime. They 

also may be required to pay for, or at least 

contribute to, treatment, supervision, and/or 

polygraph examination costs. 

Monitoring and Follow-up 

Contact With Employers

Supervising officers should begin monitoring 

an offender’s employment immediately. They 

should have ongoing contact with employers 

to verify the offender’s attendance at work 

and discuss his or her behavior in the 

workplace.

Such communication can uncover risk 

behaviors (e.g., use of pornography, extensive 

absenteeism, drug or alcohol use) or 

inappropriate conduct (e.g., sexually explicit 

comments made to coworkers). Alternatively, 

an employment check might reveal that the 

offender is adjusting well to work, and is 

receiving good on-the-job supervision. 

Supervision officers also can use regularly 

scheduled job checks to keep employers 

informed of the offender's overall progress 

and discuss how best to assist the offender in 

succeeding on the job. For example, if the 

offender is consistently late, the employer can 

contact the supervising officer to help resolve 

the problem. A sex offender also may be 

required to keep a driving log to record the 

times and routes to and from work so that the 

supervision officer can verify that the offender 

is not making unscheduled trips to 

inappropriate areas (e.g., schools or 

playgrounds). These interventions may help 

minimize situations that can lead to reoffense.

The frequency and intensity of job checks will 

depend on the offender’s supervision needs, 

progress in treatment, employment 

environment, and other risk factors. Contact 

should occur frequently after the offender 

secures and begins working at a job (at least 

weekly) and decrease as the offender exhibits 

appropriate work-related behaviors and 

progresses through his term of supervision 

and treatment (i.e., monthly contact). 

The job check plan should include a 

combination of on-site visits, telephone 

checks with the employer, and a review of 

payroll stubs and time sheets. 

Supervising officers conducting a job check 

should inquire about factors related to the 

offender’s behavior, such as the following:

• job performance;

• attitude toward work;

• punctuality, attendance, and reliability;

• activities during the workday;

• use of alcohol and drugs;

• peer relationships;

• inappropriate comments or behaviors;

• use of pornography;

• access to or use of computers, video 

recorders, and the Internet; and

• compliance with other work-related 

supervision conditions.

During the employment check, employers may 

indirectly reveal additional information, such 

as changes in the offender’s living 

arrangements, that may be helpful to those 

involved in the offender’s supervision.

Monitoring Travel and Work Outside the 

Jurisdiction of the Supervision Agency

Many community supervision agencies 

prefer that offenders under their supervision be 

employed within their jurisdiction. In those 

cases in which a sex offender is working 

outside the jurisdiction where he or she is being 

supervised, a travel letter of disclosure may be 

provided to the police in the locality in which 

the offender is employed. 

Additionally, the supervision agency may 

contact the supervision agency in that 

jurisdiction to share information and determine 

how best to monitor the offender. For out-ofstate employment, a supervision agency can 

require job approval from the agency in the 

state or jurisdiction where the offender is 

seeking employment. An offender can also be 

required to keep a driving log to record the 

times and routes to and from work.

(Source: Westchester County, NY Probation 

Department)
10

Conclusion

Meaningful employment can provide a 

stabilizing influence for sex offenders by 

involving them in pro-social activities and 

assisting them in structuring their time, 

improving their self-esteem, and meeting their 

financial obligations. In order to effectively 

supervise sex offenders in their employment, 

community supervision agencies should 

manage sex offenders on the job in a way 

that balances the protection of the public with 

offender productivity and stability. Final 

approval of a job placement requires the 

support of the offender’s treatment provider 

and a thorough assessment of the job itself, 

the offender’s work history, offense history, 

supervision needs, and community safety 

issues.

Providing supervision related to employment 

issues has many benefits and can result in 

suitable and meaningful job placements for 

offenders that provide a measure of stability 

in their lives. Outreach to employers can 

identify businesses in the community who are 

willing to hire sex offenders and provide 

supervising officers with useful information 

about offender behavior. 

The integration of supervision strategies with 

the provision of job search assistance, 

thorough assessment of potential job 

placements, case-by-case placement 

decisions, routine employer communications, 

and regular monitoring of offender 

employment are essential components of an 

intensive program to manage sex offenders 

who are under community supervision.

Acknowledgments

This paper was written by Eric Seleznow, 

Workforce Manager, Montgomery County 

Department of Correction and 

Rehabilitation and edited by Kristin Littel 

and Scott Matson, Center for Sex Offender 

Management.

Contact CSOM

Center for Sex Offender Management

8403 Colesville Road, Suite 720

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Phone: (301) 589-9383

Fax: (301) 589-3505

E-mail: askcsom@csom.org

Internet: www.csom.org
11

Resources

Federal Bonding Program

Ron Rubbin

Program Director

1725 DeSales Street, NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20036

Phone: (800) 233-2258

Internet: www.doleta.gov/media/fbonding.asp

Federal Bureau of Prisons 

Inmate Job Placement Branch

Internet: www.unicor.gov/placement or 

www.bop.gov

Local One-Stop Centers

Internet: www.doleta.gov or 

www.usworkforce.org

National Association of Workforce Boards

1201 New York Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20005

Phone: (202) 289-2950

Internet: www.nawb.org

National Institute of Corrections

Office of Correctional Job Training and 

Placement

1860 Industrial Circle, Suite A

Longmont, CO 80501

Phone: (800) 877-1461

Fax information service: (303) 678-9049

E-mail: asknicic@nicic.org

Internet: www.nicic.org

National Institute of Justice

810 Seventh Street NW

Washington, DC 20531

Phone: (202) 307-2942

Fax: (202) 307-6394

E-mail: asknij@ojp.usdoj.gov

Internet: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Correctional Education

400 Maryland Avenue SW

MES 4527

Washington, DC 20202-7242

Phone: (202) 205-5621

Fax: (202) 401-2615 or 205-8793

E-mail: oce@inet.ed.gov

U.S. Department of Labor

Employment and Training Administration

Office of Public Affairs

200 Constitution Avenue NW

Room N-4700

Washington, DC 20210

Phone: (202) 219-6871

Internet: www.ttrc.doleta.gov

Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program

Internet: www.doleta.gov/employer/wotc
12

References

Albright, S., and F. Denq (1996). Employer 

attitudes towards hiring ex-offenders. The 

Prison Journal 76 (2): 118–137. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics (1999). Report on 

the American Workforce. Washington, DC: 

U.S. Department of Labor.

Curtis, R.L., Jr., and S. Schulman (1984). Exoffenders, family relations, and economic 

supports. Crime and Delinquency 30 (4): 

507–528.

Gendreau, P., T. Little, and C. Goggin (1996). 

A meta-analysis of the predictors of adult 

criminal recidivism: What works. Criminology 

34: 575–607.

Hanson, R.K., and A. Harris (1998). Dynamic 

Predictors of Sexual Recidivism. Cat. no. 

JS42-82/1998-01E. Ottawa: Department of 

the Solicitor General of Canada.

Kruttschnitt, C., C. Uggen, and K. Shelton 

(2000). Predictors of desistance among sex 

offenders: The interactions of formal and 

informal social controls. Justice Quarterly 17 

(1): 61–87.

U.S. Department of Labor (1999).

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in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: U.S. 

Department of Labor.

Westchester County Department of Probation 

(1998). Employment Handout. White Plains,

NY: Westchester County Department of 

Probation.

This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 97-WT-VX-K007, awarded by the Office of 

Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the author and 

do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.