Title: The Comprehensive Assessment Protocol: A Systemwide Review of Adult and Juvenile Sex Offender Management Strategies
Headings: Treatment
Treatment
Overview
Availability, Capacity, and Accessibility
Prison–Based Sex Offender Treatment
Facility–Based Treatment for Juveniles
Community–Based Programs for Adult and Juvenile Sex Offenders

Content: Saldana,  Swenson, & Letourneau, 2006). A continuum of care is particularly important when considering  treatment and placement options for juvenile sex offenders. Ideally, when making decisions about levels of care, the courts and other  justice professionals will have the benefit of pre–sentence investigations  and comprehensive psychosexual evaluations that specifically address risk and  needs in a valid and reliable manner. ( For additional information about the  use of assessments to inform decisionmaking, see the Assessment section of  this protocol.) Following the initial placement, should circumstances warrant  (e.g., significant increases or decreases in risk), policies and procedures  should be in place that afford correctional and juvenile justice agencies the  latitude to make informed adjustments to the level of care accordingly. To  the extent possible, treatment settings for juveniles should also take into  account the least restrictive alternative, proximity to the home and community,  and family strengths and needs. Prison–Based Sex Offender Treatment
The majority of states offer some form of prison–based sex offender  treatment in one or more of their facilities (West, Hromas, & Wenger,  2000). In some jurisdictions, correctional agencies are legislatively or otherwise  mandated to maintain treatment programs and, in some instances, legislation  requires sex offenders to participate in these programs in order to be considered  for conditional release or parole. Regardless, although prison–based  sex offender treatment programs are generally available, their actual capacity  may be quite limited (see, e.g., Gordon & Hover, 1998; West et al.,