CALCASA Executive Director Chosen for Sex Offender Management Board Leadership

July 24, 2007 |
Robert Coombs

California’s newly created Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) chose their leadership last week and selected CALCASA’s Executive Director, Suzanne Brown-McBride as chair of the board. Joining her as Vice Chair of the 17 member board is Tom Tobin from the California Coalition On Sexual Offending (CCOSO). The SOMB is tasked with providing policy recommendations to the legislature of current management practices for sex offenders residing in California communities.

The SOMB was created through CALCASA sponsored Assembly Bill 1015 (Chu), and is run under the jurisdiction of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Chairing the Board seemed a natural fit for Brown-McBride, one of the states leading experts in the field of sex offender management and integrating victim advocates in the management process.

CALCASAPublicPolicy readers will remember the two year journey in passing SOMB legislation. After unanimous, bipartisan support in its first introduction, the bill was vetoed at the Governor’s desk. The second attempt at passage saw widespread support again, but was bolstered by the Governor’s High Risk Sex Offender (HRSO) Taskforce who recommended the creation of such a board as part of their package of policy suggestions to the Governor who went on to sign AB 1015.

In just its second meeting, the board has brought together expert stakeholders in sex offender management with representation from the Attorney General’s Office, the California Department of Corrections, the Board of Prison Terms, the Department of Mental Health, the Judicial Branch, the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, probation officers, law enforcement, district attorneys, criminal defense attorneys, and treatment providers, among others.