House Bill 10-1364 is scheduled to be heard at the House Judiciary
Committee at the Colorado capitol building the afternoon of Thursday,
March 25. The bill deals in part with whether to keep the words "no
known cure" in an existing statute governing Colorado's Sex Offender
Management Board (SOMB). The SOMB oversees the state's treatment program
for sex offenders.
“Why is it necessary to have the
statute direct the specific orientation of treatment?”
A growing group called the No Known Cure group including Greig Veeder,
executive director of Teaching Humane Existence (T.H.E.), leading sex
offender management professionals and concerned citizens, believe the
bill itself is effective overall because it promotes the continuation of
the SOMB. However, they believe the removal of the “no known cure”
language reduces the SOMB’s power to prioritize public safety.
The SOMB's statute states that, "...the board shall develop and
prescribe a standardized procedure for the evaluation and identification
of sex offenders. Such procedure shall provide for an evaluation and
identification of the offender and recommend behavior management,
monitoring, and treatment based upon the knowledge that sex offenders
are extremely habituated and that there is no known cure for the
propensity to commit sex abuse."
It is important to note that the language is meant for the management of
convicted, repeat adult sex offenders, not low-risk, one-time offenders,
developmentally delayed adults, juveniles or women.
"The simple fact is if the house bill removes the three words 'no known
cure' it diminishes the strength of our ability to treat, manage and
contain convicted, adult repeat sex offenders," said Greig Veeder,
executive director for T.H.E. and leading the charge to retain the
language. "The people pushing to make this change are family members of
sex offenders and defense attorneys. The ones who oppose the bill are
committed to public safety and include state probation, Colorado
Coalition Against Sex Assault, leading professionals in the field,
concerned citizens and victims."