By:  Lucio                                            S.C.R. No. 50
                             SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of
    1-2  Justice, sex offenders are far more likely than other felons to
    1-3  repeat their crimes; recent studies have shown that sex offenders
    1-4  who begin as juveniles average 380 sex crimes during their
    1-5  lifetime; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, Sex offender treatment has been shown to
    1-7  substantially reduce the likelihood of repeat offenses and
    1-8  significantly reduce further victimizations by these individuals;
    1-9  and
   1-10        WHEREAS, Sex offender treatment can be fully effective in
   1-11  reducing the personal suffering and social cost of these offenses
   1-12  only if there is greater continuity of correctional support
   1-13  programs among the state agencies that provide these urgent
   1-14  services; now, therefore, be it
   1-15        RESOLVED, That the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas
   1-16  hereby direct the criminal justice and human service agencies of
   1-17  this state to adopt a memorandum of understanding defining the
   1-18  agencies' respective responsibilities for correctional support and
   1-19  treatment of sex offenders in the criminal justice system; and, be
   1-20  it further
   1-21        RESOLVED, That the Interagency Council on Sex Offender
   1-22  Treatment monitor and coordinate the development and implementation
   1-23  of the memorandum of understanding; and, be it further
   1-24        RESOLVED, That the memorandum of understanding establish
    2-1  methods for:
    2-2              (1)  identifying sex offenders, both juvenile and
    2-3  adult, in the criminal justice system;
    2-4              (2)  developing interagency rules, policies, and
    2-5  procedures for the coordination of correctional support programs
    2-6  and the exchange of information on sex offenders by local and state
    2-7  criminal justice agencies; and
    2-8              (3)  identifying the rehabilitation services needed by
    2-9  sex offenders, both juvenile and adult, to reenter the community
   2-10  successfully; and, be it further
   2-11        RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared
   2-12  for the executive directors of the Texas Department of Criminal
   2-13  Justice, the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, the Texas Youth
   2-14  Commission, the Texas Department of Health, and the Department of
   2-15  Protective and Regulatory Services as an expression of the intent
   2-16  of the Legislature of the State of Texas.