Opinion ID: 199347
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Valid Government Interest

Text: 21 New Hampshire law gives the parole broad discretion over release decisions, directing the board to base its judgment on whether there is a probability that the inmate will remain at liberty without violating any law and will conduct himself as a good citizen. N.H. Code of Admin. Rules. Ann. § 301.01. Whether a sex offender has completed the SOP is one factor that the New Hampshire parole board may consider in deciding whether a sex offender merits early release. See N.H. Code of Admin. R. Ann. §a301.02(h) (parole board may take into account evidence of self-improvement achieved through prison programs, specifically programs which addressed problems or issues that contributed to the inmate's prior criminal conduct). The question under Turner is whether this consideration is based on a valid governmental interest. 22 Unquestionably, the state has an acute interest in seeking to rehabilitate sex offenders in hopes of deterring future crime, particularly given the large body of research showing that sex offenders commit repeat crimes at alarming rates. 5 To that end, New Hampshire established the SOP. The program's requirement that participants admit to their crimes is widely believed to be a necessary prerequisite to successful treatment. 6 While some research stresses the difficulty of drawing conclusions about the success rates of sex offender treatment, 7 other studies show that treated sex offenders are less likely to commit new crimes. 8 Indeed, the SOP may be achieving some success. Director Lance Messinger testified that twelve percent of untreated offenders released from the prison since 1980 returned on a new sex-offense conviction, while only six percent of those who completed the SOP did. New Hampshire unmistakably has a valid government interest in establishing the SOP, and in requiring sex offenders to admit past conduct to participate in it. 23