Information for Cory Jewell Jensen’s April 9, 2020 training on “Protecting Our Children”

With opening remarks by State Representative Susannah Whipps

2020 / 2021 LEA/CAC/MDT Full-day Workshop Speaker: Cory Jewell Jensen, M.S.

Sex Offenders: What Every MDT Team Member Should Know

Opening remarks by State Representative Susannah Whipps

Part 1: 8:30 to 12:00
How They Get That Way and the Basic Facts Your Team Should Know About Sex Crimes.

Sex crime investigators, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, medical staff, child welfare workers and child/victim advocates should be familiar the various theories about the etiology of pedophilia and development of pro-offending attitudes, plus the more typical patterns of sexual offending (rape, sexual assault & computer crimes against children) committed by juvenile and adult sex offenders. This presentation will highlight (via video taped interviews with various sex offenders) some of the more common pathways to developing deviant sexual interests and criminal sexual behavior patterns. In addition, the presenter will review various studies that examined the number of detected vs. undetected offenders and sexual crimes occurring in our communities, the true rate of false allegations and the average degree of “cross-over” or “crime switching” behavior sex offenders engage in. The misconceptions about “re-offense” and “recidivism” rates and the expected outcomes for sex offender treatment will also be addressed.

Part 2: 1:00 to 2:00 Sex Offenders: Continued

Part 3: 2:15 to 3:30
Creepy but Crucial: Advanced Grooming as Described by Sex Offenders
Participants will examine (via film clips of interviews with various types of sex offenders) some of the specific
strategies offenders describe using to target, seduce and exploit children and adults. Information was collected from
several thousand adult sex offenders who were involved in long-term, court mandated sex offender treatment. In addition, a variety of similarly focused research studies will be reviewed. The areas of focus includes offender descriptions of “grooming” tactics (how and why they: targeted certain children, adults, families and youth serving agencies, then seduced and manipulated each of these individuals/agencies, inhibited disclosure, detection and reporting. A variety of video clips, research studies and anecdotal interview data from numerous sex offenders will be utilized to illustrate each stage. Although this presentation is not for the “faint of heart,” it provides crucial information related to trauma and the need to improve training and skill in forensic interviewing, investigation and prosecution.

Part 3: 3:30 to 3:45
Protecting our Children: “Advice From Child Molesters” A Child Safety and Crime Prevention Program

Participants will have an opportunity to review Oregon’s grassroots prevention project - “Protecting our Children: Advice From Child Molesters.” Initially developed by two veteran sex offender treatment providers, “PYC” has grown into a multi-state, multi-disciplinary child abuse prevention campaign. The project was designed to educate parents, youth service staff, educators, community volunteers and the faith community about child sexual abuse, offender behavior, risk management and more effective prevention strategies. Workshops challenge public misperceptions about children’s ability to protect themselves and promote the idea that all adults must be informed and take an active role in confronting offender behavior and promoting child safety. Information about grooming behavior, Internet crimes, victim advocacy, reporting, sexual behavior between children and talking to children about child sexual abuse are covered. Potential project benefits such as jury education and early intervention with potential offenders are expected. Classes are taught by child abuse detectives, child/victim advocates, prosecutors, probation/parole officers and sex offender treatment providers.

Part 4: 4:00 to 5:00
If They Knew What I Was Thinking: What Sex Offenders Can Teach Us
About Interviewing

This presentation examines the relationship between confession rates and sex offender characteristics (ie., offender age, relationship to victim, personality type, offense history and prior experience with the criminal justice system). In addition, several studies that investigated the effectiveness of various interviewer styles (investigator demeanor and approach) will be reviewed. Lastly, the presenter will provide anecdotal comments (from 121 admitting adult male sex offenders) related to the thoughts and concerns they had while they were initially being interviewed by detectives. Comments focus on the reason they declined to be interviewed, lied about their behavior or confessed. Video clips will be used to illustrate some of the specific skills used by police to enable offenders to confess, along with recommendations for specific interview comment/questions from 26 veteran child abuse detectives from 10 law enforcement agencies in Oregon.

Bio: Currently the senior trainer for CBI Consulting, Cory Jewell Jensen, M.S., spent the last 35 years providing evaluation and treatment services to adult sex offenders and their families in Portland, Oregon. In addition to her clinical work, Ms. Jensen has provided training and consultation services to The National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse, The Office of Special Investigations-Diplomatic Security Services Agency, The U.S. Marshall’s Office, The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, The American Association of Police Polygraph Examiners,The National Child Advocacy Center, The National Children’s Alliance, The United States Navy, The National Crime Victims Association, The National Boy Scouts Foundation, NYPD Special Victims Unit and a number of other law enforcement, child advocacy and faith based organizations. Ms. Jensen served as Executive Director for the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, chaired two of ATSA’s International Research and Treatment Conferences and served as President of Oregon’s Chapter of ATSA. She also chaired the Offender Management Committee attached to the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force, was an instructor for Portland State University’s Child Welfare Training Institute for nearly 20 years and has provided training for countless Multi-disciplinary Teams throughout the United States and Europe. Jensen has been the recipient of Oregon’s "Commercial Crime Prevention Award," the "Champions for Children Award," the OATSA "Significant Achievement Award," the Nunnenkamp "Award of Excellence," and the Jan Hindman Memorial Award. She has published a number of articles related to sex offender treatment, risk management and child abuse prevention, testified as an expert witness in local and federal courts and been a featured guest on radio talk shows and the Oprah Winfrey Show.