Registered Sex Offenders

The goal of this policy is to enhance safety and growth for all men on the weekend consistent with MKP USA organizational values.  Furthermore, this policy will guide Centers, Areas, and Communities in working with men who are RSOs.

Identification

When a potential participant or staff man has responded affirmatively to the Registered Sex Offender question on the NWTA Readiness Form, (or its predecessor Confidential Medical Report), we cannot, as a matter of integrity accept him onto a training site that prohibits RSO participation.  When this occurs, these men will be referred to a training at another Center, Area, or Community whose site does not have that restriction.

Absent a site restriction, the medical reviewer will note when a man has responded affirmatively to the RSO question on the CMR and refer that man to the Mental Health Resource Team (MHRT) for further screening.  A MHRT team member will contact the potential participant or staff member.

MHRT Follow Up

The MHRT member will contact the potential participant or staff man to gather information for addressing his suitability for participation on the training. This MHRT assessment consultation is much like other areas where MHRT is asked to consult when a man’s suitability for training is in question.

The following questions and those arising as follow-ups would be part of the assessment:

• What was the offense and when did it occur?
• What was the sentence and was it served?
• Were there any mandated penalties or conditions (i.e. probation, treatment, etc.) and were these conditions met?
• Is the man currently in treatment, and is this voluntary or involuntary?
• What are current restrictions for this man (i.e. maintaining distance from schools, children etc.)?

In the case of a man applying to staff, we will inquire if the man is “doing his work” around this issue in an effective way.

Additional Assessment

Based on this assessment, if the MHRT man feels that more information is needed to assess the man’s suitability, the MHRT man will ask the RSO for authorization to talk with his probation officer and/or therapist.  If he refuses permission, that may be grounds for a recommendation that the man may not participate.  If he does give permission, the MHRT consultant will gather more information to evaluate the man’s progress, and, as in other MHRT consultations, give his best judgment and recommendation on the man’s appropriateness for the training to the Training Leader and the Area Steward/Area Administrator hosting the training.  These men and the MHRT consultant will arrive at a consensus decision on the man’s participation.

Approval to Attend NWTA

When a man with RSO status has been cleared to staff through this process, he will not be required to undergo this assessment subsequently.  The MKP USA Training and Operations Coordinator will be notified of this clearance and maintain a list of men who have been so cleared.  The RSO will only need to note on his CMR that he has been previously cleared.

Disapproval

When a man has been considered and judged to be not suitable due to his RSO status, his name will be forwarded to the MKP USA Training and Events Execution Director who will place this man’s name on the “Do Not Staff List.”  Guidelines for this list are maintained by the MKP USA Training and Events Execution.

Center/Area Responsibility

The application for staff men with RSO status is likely to be best identified in their own Center/Area/Community, since the general process of staff selection is a function of the Center/Area/Community.  Thus, the major responsibility for following these guidelines is the province of the Center/Area/Community with the assistance and consultation of the MHRT.  This is similarly applicable in the case of initiates, since physician review (and subsequent MHRT review) is also most commonly administered by the Center.