Report 2014-125 Recommendation 12 Responses

Report 2014-125: California Department of State Hospitals: It Could Increase the Consistency of Its Evaluations of Sex Offenders by Improving Its Assessment Protocol and Training (Release Date: March 2015)

Recommendation #12 To: State Hospitals, Department of

To improve its overall effectiveness, by December 2015 State Hospitals should further analyze the rate at which its evaluators determine that offenders meet the SVP criteria. State Hospitals should focus its analysis on evaluations it performed in the most recent three fiscal years because of its transition to civil service evaluators and because of changes to state law have affected how it performs evaluations. State Hospitals should establish what the normal acceptable ranges for commitment rates are and work with evaluators whose findings consistently fall outside that range.

1-Year Agency Response

DSH has established quality assurance procedures that include program data analyses. The Forensic Services Division, Data and Research Unit collects data on all evaluator work products and the provided data will form the quality assurance process outlined in the policy and procedure (see recommendation 5).

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

The department conducted a statistical analysis of the rate at which its evaluators determine that offenders meet the SVP criteria. Further, the department identified evaluators who fell outside the norms and indicated it begun to work with them.

6-Month Agency Response

DSH established a normal acceptable range for commitment rates in September 2015. DSH will analyze the commitment rates of evaluators and work with evaluators that consistently fall outside of the normative range by December 2015.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

DSH will by December 2015, establish a normal acceptable range

for commitment rates. DSH will analyze the commitment rates of evaluators and work with evaluators that consistently fall outside of the normative range.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2014-125

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.