Opinion ID: 874426
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Smith was prejudiced by his counsel's deficient performance in failing to timely assert a challenge to the Board's failure to adopt and apply objective criteria for VSP designation.

Text: The legislature created the Board to assess the risk of reoffense of any offender convicted and incarcerated for commission of a crime as set forth in section 18-8314, Idaho Code, to determine whether the offender should be designated a violent sexual predator. I.C. § 18-8312(1). The legislature imposed the duty upon the Board to establish objective guidelines to be used in the determination of whether an offender should be designated a VSP: The board shall establish guidelines to determine whether an offender who meets the criteria of this section is a violent sexual predator presenting a high risk of reoffense. The guidelines shall be established with the assistance of sexual offender treatment and law enforcement professionals who have, by education, experience or training, expertise in the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders. (a) Factors to be used in establishment of the guidelines must be supported in the sexual offender assessment field as criteria reasonably related to the risk of reoffense and be objective criteria that can be gathered in a consistent and reliable manner. (b) The guidelines shall include, but are not limited to, the following general categories for risk assessment: seriousness of the offense, offense history, whether the offense was predatory, characteristics of the offender, characteristics of the victim, the relationship of the offender to the victim, the number of victims and the number of violations of each victim.