2023 New York Laws › COR - Correction › Article 22 - Miscellaneous Provisions › 622 - Sex Offender Treatment Program.

§  622.  Sex  offender treatment program. 1. The department shall make
  available a  sex  offender  treatment  program  for  those  incarcerated
  individuals  who  are  serving sentences for felony sex offenses, or for
  other offenses defined in subdivision (p) of section 10.03 of the mental
  hygiene law, and are identified as having a need  for  such  program  in
  accordance  with  sections eight hundred three and eight hundred five of
  this chapter. In developing the treatment program, the department  shall
  give   due   regard   to  standards,  guidelines,  best  practices,  and
  qualifications recommended by the office of sex offender management. The
  department shall make such treatment programs available sufficiently  in
  advance  of  the  time of the incarcerated individual's consideration by
  the case review team, pursuant to section 10.05 of  the  mental  hygiene
  law,  so  as  to  allow  the  incarcerated  individual  to  complete the
  treatment program prior to that time.
2. The  primary  purpose  of  the  program  shall  be  to  reduce  the
  likelihood  of  reoffending by assisting such offenders to control their
  chain of  behaviors  that  lead  to  sexual  offending.  The  length  of
  participation  for  each  incarcerated  individual to achieve successful
  completion shall  be  dependent  upon  the  initial  assessment  of  the
  incarcerated individual's specific needs and the degree of progress made
  by  the  incarcerated  individual as a participant but shall not be less
  than six months.
3. The department's  sex  offender  treatment  program  shall  include
  residential  programs,  which  shall  require  that at each correctional
  facility  where  the  residential  program  is  provided,   incarcerated
  individual  participants shall be housed within the same housing area in
  order to provide clinically appropriate treatment, and to provide a more
  structured and controlled setting.
4.  Each  residential  program  shall  be  staffed  with  a   licensed
  psychologist  who  shall  provide  clinical supervision to the treatment
  staff, review, approve and modify treatment  plans  as  appropriate  for
  individual  incarcerated  individuals,  provide clinical assessments for
  participating incarcerated individuals, observe and participate in group
  sessions and make treatment recommendations.  Each  residential  program
  shall  also  be  staffed with a licensed clinical social worker or other
  mental  health  professional  who  shall  be  knowledgeable  about   the
  administration  of  testing instruments that are designed to measure the
  degree of a sex offender's psychopathy and his or her program needs. The
  assigned licensed psychologist shall also  be  knowledgeable  about  the
  application of such testing instruments.
5.  Any  incarcerated  individual  committed  to  the  custody  of the
  department on or after the effective date of this section for  a  felony
  sex  offense, or for any of the other offenses listed in subdivision (p)
  of  section  10.03  of  the  mental  hygiene  law,  shall,  as  soon  as
  practicable,  be  initially  assessed  by  staff of the office of mental
  health who shall be knowledgeable regarding  the  diagnosis,  treatment,
  assessment or evaluation of sex offenders. The assessment shall include,
  but  not  be  limited  to,  the determination of the degree to which the
  incarcerated individual presents a risk of violent sexual recidivism and
  his or her need for sex offender treatment while in prison.
6. Staff of the office of mental health and the office for people with
  developmental disabilities  may  be  consulted  about  the  incarcerated
  individual's  treatment needs and may assist in providing any additional
  treatment services determined to be clinically  appropriate  to  address
  the incarcerated individual's underlying mental abnormality or disorder.
  Such  treatment services shall be provided using professionally accepted
  treatment protocols.