Colorado advances bill to stop conflict of interest on Sex Offender Management Board
Polygrapher, Jeff Jenks, served on the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board. Ordinarily, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with that, except that Jenks’ company had a $1.9 Million contract with the state to provide polygraphy services to sex offenders!
Hence a huge conflict of interest. How can an individual serving on the board setting policies help establish policies when he has such a self-serving financial interest in those policies? In this case – 2 million reasons to ensure that every potential “sex offender” get a polygraph from the state-contacted polygraphy company!
Legislators in Colorado passed House Bill 1427, which bars members of the Sex Offender Management Board from having direct financial benefits from the standards and guidelines adopted by that board. In other words, Jenks would either have to quit the board or give up his two million dollar contract. It has now gone to the governor for consideration.
We should push for similar legislation here in Florida. It should be a conflict of interest for anyone serving on a State or Municipal Board or an elected official to derive a financial benefit from standards and guidelines adopted by the board or laws passed by them. In other words; someone serving on a homeless trust or in the senate, should be prevented from passing or lobbying for statutes or ordinances that they will derive a financial benefit from. We can call it the “Ron and Lauren Book Act.”
Discover more from Florida Action Committee (FAC)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
A similar bill should be passed in California as well. We have similar conflicts within our SOMB.
I believe that no person should have any power in the enactment of a law from which he/she gains financially if passed. Of course if this were a law throughout all states and the federal government we either wouldn’t have any new laws and/or all our legislators would have to resign. : ) Not a bad concept!
the S.OR is a new gold rush- has become a $BILLION INDUSTRY?= created the sex offender industrial complex.
How about adding that a member of government who makes policies that effect citizens can not have any type of relationship either professional or familial with a registered lobbyist. Sit on a board of a company any registered lobbyists represents or own stock in a company a registered lobbyists represents. That would be one way of returning government back to the people but as it stands now there is to much money to be made especially if you own GEO stocks
This is just common sense. It’s a conflict of interest to serve in a capacity where you would have influence over the funds contributed by a state or federal scheme. At worst it’s just plain unethical.
Good idea. Back in 1996 when I was first accused of the misdemeanor offence I volunteered to take a polygraph test to help establish my innocence but the judge said he would not allow it because they were ineffective and inaccurate.
Once again, common sense governance by someone other than Flori-duh.
Yes, I agree it should be illegal for ANYONE to have a government contract to any services for it concerning anything to do with corrections…..Here’s a novel idea. How about when people serve their prison sentences and COMPLETE THEM… then LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE! Let them loose to go prove themselves and live their lives and get integrated back into society again without any interference from government. Probation should be outlawed in this country. When I got in trouble as a kid, my parents spanked me as punishment and that was the end of it. They didn’t keep spanking me and make me report to them once a month, or go take a polygraph once a year to prove that I wasn’t lying to them or make me pay a “supervision fee” to them for watching me every day. I mean, seriously.