Genesis Group Meeting Minutes 5/2/13

Members Present

Bill Bruursema, Leslie Visser, Jenn Stroud, Mindy Kaiser, Beth Swagman, Gil Otero, Dave Berghuis, Dominique Pickens, Jon Schneider, Denny Cochran, Bill Dykstra, Paul Tameling, Dean VanderMey, Eric Cerling, Jim Bright, Bryan Schneider-Thomas, Wendy Hadersback.

OId Business

Bill updated the group on the Thursday night group.  It has really been a place of growth lately.

There is also an update from 5^th Reformed.  Chaplain Bill met with Pastor Bruce and Tim (an RSO member) and an elder.  The meeting went well. We are just at the beginning stage of being able to assist.  Tim is currently looking into joining the Thursday Night Group. 5^th Reformed is still refining their policy and working toward incorporating Tim into the life of the congregation.

New Business

Dominique did a presentation that went over what a sample policy could look like for three different churches. 

(see attached)

The conclusion was that each church can and should define their own policy and that there are good benefits for the community.

Bill asked Mindy if he could consider a church with a school attached.  She said that she would, considering that school is not open on a Sunday.  As long as there is a chaperone present, then there isn’t a problem.  She did say that it could restrict Wednesday night programming, but to remember that communication is key.

Jim asked if the decision is up to the individual probation officer.  Mindy said, yes, if they feel uncomfortable, they can say no.

Pastor Brian shared that initially they crafted a policy that would apply to everyone.  They ended up having to make one for each situation. 

We also followed up on Eric’s question from last month.  To recap, the church has written a policy, the RSO agrees with the policy but is refusing to sign it. 

It was agreed that it was an emotional issue that the man needs to overcome. 

A good phrase was stated that said “the presenting problem is not the problem… it’s a symptom of the deeper issue.

Next meeting – Thursday, June 13, 2013

Genesis Group Meeting Minutes 4.4.13

Members Present – Bill Bruursema, Leslie Visser, Jeff Otteson, Gerrit Rozeboom, Wendy Hadersbeck, Linda Bright, Jon Sherrill, Gil Otero, Ray Befus, Denny Cochran, Paul Tameling, Eric Cerling, Dominique Pickens, Dave Berghuis, Jude Acheson, Jenn Stroud, Vic Wilson, Mindy Kaiser

Old Business – Chaplain Bill let us know that we received a letter from an inmate in prison who is about to go before the parole board asking for support opportunities once he is released.  Bill wrote back describing various opportunities and asking what the particular needs were.

New Business – We asked pastors to update us on the process and progress in their churches.

Jon Sherrill said that their goal is to be very willing to accept RSO’s in the future.  They crafted their policy for a specific member of their church who is reluctant to accept the policy, and therefore is slowing down the process. Pastor Ray asked about the process with that man.  Jon said that he is still dealing with significant denial.  They are trying very hard to help the man, but he is currently not welcome in the church.   Jeff Otteson volunteered to read the policy to let them know how it reads from a RSO’s point of view.  Bill also asked for a copy for our packet.

Vic Wilson let us know that their policy at Bauer Community is currently up for approval by the board.  He is hoping it will be approved soon and they can begin taking in RSO’s at their church.

Garret Rozeboom suggested that everyone take the mentoring class offered by Forgotten Man Ministries. He also let us know that the policy at his church is very strict but RSO’s see it as a protection for them from false accusations.

Pastor Ray let us know what the policy is like at Vineyard. The man or woman needs to join a small group and tell their story within 6 months.  They have done it 3 times with men outside of the church.  They are hoping to add on another RSO.  Ray has a family history of shame – he believes that is part of his culture of the church.  The church has not experienced any problems associated with their policy. So far the relationship with 2/3 of the men started with denial. In both cases there were tears and a confession.   They announce this plan/policy in their membership class.

Eric from Calvary ended the meeting with a question.  They currently have 6/8 RSO’s in the Church.  They have a policy in place that they are implementing.  They have one man who will not sign the policy and he is having a hard time asking him not to come to church based on that.  Ray made the point of saying that in most cases, I am my own victim.  In these cases, it is a predatory sin.  Whether its fair or not, it’s the reality.  Bill said that this could be a point of spiritual growth – Submission to God’s authority and to the people God puts in authority over us.

Next meeting Thursday April 4, 2013 at 12-1:00pm

Genesis Group Meeting Minutes 3.7.13

Members Present – Bill Bruursema, Leslie Visser, Jenn Stroud, Steve Schamber, Dave Berghuis, Dominique Pickens, Denny Cochran, Mindy Kaiser, Ray Befus, Plinio Otero, Luis Mocina, Barb Lester, Ron Kool, Gerrit Rozeboom, Chris Lohroff, Jeff Otteson, Beth Swagman

Old Business – Bill updated everyone on the mailing.  We had two pastors respond.  Jeff Otteson met with one man referred to us by his pastor in response to the mailing to help and encourage him as he struggles learning to cope with life on the registry.   Gerrit updated us on Petal Son… He is now counseling 3 families.

New Business – Bill shared with us what FMM’s role In referring a RSO to a church is.  He explained the difference between Jail (less than 12 month sentence/wide range of classification) and prison (over 12 month sentence/1-5 ranges of classification).

In regards to jail there are a few main areas of classification – Min (low), Med (high – also includes medium assaultive) and Max (violent, which included close, high).  There are also presentenced and sentenced inmates.  Inmates are first housed in pre-arraignment for about 36-48 hours.  Once they have been arraigned they are seen by medical and mental health staff and then they are moved to a housing unit in the jail. They are then discipled by our 26 associate chaplains that are assigned to different housing units in the jail.  It is often then that they come to grips with what they have done.

Mindy and Dave clarified what it is that they do in assessing RSO’s They make a personal assessment based on criteria explained in previous minutes.  They would refrain from using the words “recommend” and “referral”.

Next meeting Thursday April 4, 2013 at 12-1:00pm

Genesis Group Meeting Minutes 2.7.2013

Members Present – Bill Bruursema, Leslie Visser, Jenn Stroud, Dave Berghuis, Dominique Pickens, Denny Cochran, Jeff Otteson, Gil Otero, Jude Acheson, Ray Befus, Mindy Kaiser, Jim Bright, Linda Bright, Beth Swagman

Old Business – Bill let everyone know that he was going to have a guest column published on Mlive.com regarding the Genesis Group. 

Beth let us know that her Safe Child seminar went well and she will be having another in the spring.

New Business – Mindy presented to us the process that a person takes from the initial crime to the end of probation. 

From Mindy –

The process for someone accused of a criminal sexual conduct charge can be quite lengthy, especially when the defendant is held in custody with a high bond or no bond. The first step is the arraignment, which is the formal charging of the defendant and setting of a bond. For those who are able to bond out, many times that means reporting to someone who serves like a probation officer until their case makes its way through court. In most cases, if there is enough evidence that a crime occured, the case is bound over to circuit court. At that stage, the defense attorney and the prosecutor go back and forth, many times in more than one meeting spread out over a period of weeks, to reach a plea deal to keep the case from going to trial. The majority of cases are handled this way and defendants plead guilty to a charge, many times reduced from their original charge(s).

Once there is a conviction, the defendant is interviewed by a probation officer who writes a pre-sentence report. This includes a thorough interview that includes the person’s family history, upbringing, marital status and children, educational history, substance abuse history, mental and physical health history, gang history, criminal record, and their version of the crime. This report is provided to the judge before they are sentenced.

After sentencing, if probation is the sentence, once the defendant becomes available for active supervision in the community, he/she is referred to a licensed psychologist for sex offender treatment. The treatment provider is provided a copy of the pre-sentence report for background information, however they perform a sex offender-specific type of assessment called the Static-99. The resulting score from that assessment lets the probation officer know if the defendant is a low risk, low-medium risk, medium-high risk, or high risk. While the probation officer also completes an assessment tool used by probation (called the COMPAS), this is not normed for sex offenders and therefore may not be an accurate way to score all the risks/needs of the defendant (which it is designed to do).

If a church member or pastor wanted to know whether the offender was a high risk, the probation officer would answer that question based on the Static-99 score, however may have some additional input from working with the offender (for example, whether they have been found to be in violation of their probation order in the past, having unauthorized, unsupervised contact with minor children, or have personal issues that may be clouding their decision-making, etc.). The way the Static-99 is scored causes the score to remain basically the same throughout the defendant’s lifetime, therefore the score would not change from year to year during their probation supervision, however as the agent gets to know the defendant better, may be able to provide other pertinent information.

It should be noted that most sex offenders who are incarcerated in the prison system may have another type of sex offender assessment, however once released on parole have a Static-99 completed as well, so a parole officer should be able to provide similar information as a probation officer.

Next meeting Thursday March 7, 2013 at 12-1:00pm

Genesis Group Meeting Minutes 1.3.2013

Members Present – Bill Bruursema, Leslie Visser, Dave Berghuis, Jeff Otteson, Kevyn Milton, Ray Beefus, Jon Sherrill, Bruce Mulder, Ron Kool, Gil Otero, Jude Acheson, Chris Lohroff, Garrett Rozeboom, Foppe VanderZwaag, Vic Wilson, Mindy Kaiser

Old Business – Garret updated us on Petal Son and said he now has 3 families that he is helping.

Leslie updated the group on the mailings.  Aprox 350 are being sent out this coming week.  We will also be doing the same mailing in about 6 months.  If/when we get a response from a church we will be making apersonal visit to the church to follow up.

New Business – Mindy shared with us an article that was on MLIVE in the Ethics and Religion section – “Would you worship with a sex offender?”  Jon Sherrill informed us that the journalist is a close friend of his and will be calling him to let him know about the Genesis Group.  The next part of the article will be coming out in two weeks.

Pastor Ray shares with us what he felt God’s plan was not only for Vineyard North but also for the City of Grand Rapids.

Ray wants Vineyard North to be a place where anyone, no matter who they are or what they have done feel at home.  Ray said some people are shocked when they actually see Christ’s’ love and acceptance through another person.  People in the City should be able to see how good God is by how the church acts.

Gil Otero shared that God has a plan for his life. He is walking with God, step by step through that plan.  He also stated that the most important people in his life are in this room [genesis group meeting], Mindy (probation), Dave (therapist), Ray (pastor), Bill (chaplain).

New Business

Next meeting Thursday February 7, 2013 at 12-1:00pm

Genesis Group Meeting Minutes 12.6.12

Members Present – Bill Bruursema, Leslie Visser, Gil Otero, Misael Garcia, Ray Beefus, Jude Acheson, Barb Lester, Dave Berghuis, Mindy Kaiser, Beth Swagman, Linda Bright, Judi Buchman, Jenn Stroud, Chris Lohroff

Pastor Ray opened with prayer.

Visitors – We were very happy to have Gil’s friend, Pastor Misael Garcia attend.

Old Business – Leslie updated the group on the church mailings.  We have about 350 waiting to be mailed at the beginning of the year.  She also updated the group on the new website (fmmgenesisgroup.com). 

New Business

Dave Berghuis continued the discussion on the Static-99R coding form.  The coding form goes over 10 different risk factors, and the response to those risk factors results in a score.  A low score means that there is a lower risk of recidivism and a higher score means a higher risk of recidivism.

The risk factors include

-         Age at release (This is a area where you can score a negative number… starting at age 40, you can score -1 to -3)

-         Relationships (if you have had a relationship longer than two years you score 0… if you have not, you score 1)

-         Index non-sexual violence

-         Prior non-sexual violence

-         Prior sexual convictions

-         Prior sentencing dates

-         Any convictions for non-contact sex offenses (example – flashing)

-         Any unrelated victims

-         Any stranger victims (people known Leslie

-         ess than 24 hours)

-         Any male victims

From there they are given a score. 

-3 to 1 = Low (They would receive 8 sessions of counseling – focusing on healthy living)

2-3 = Low-Moderate (26 Sessions – state paid – more commonly increased, not decreased)

4-5 = Moderate-High (52 sessions)

6+ = High (52 sessions)

It was also discussed that it would be a good idea to add a “release of info” to the Church’s Safe Church Policy.  That way the probation officer/counselor can discuss the RSO’s past with his mentor/pastor.

Next meeting Thursday January 3, 2013 at 12-1:00pm

Genesis Group Meeting Minutes 11.8.12

Members Present – Bill Bruursema, Rick Stevens, Jeff Otteson, Gil Otero, Daisy Benavidez, Mike White, Vic Wilson, Tony Tendero, Chris Lohroff, Linda Bright, Ron Kool, Judi Buchman, Beth Swagman, Robert White, Barb Lester, Jude Acheson, Jenn Stroud

New Business

Opening prayer
Welcome of new people — Daisy Benavidez and Pastor White

Dave Berghuis speaker (Mindy couldn’t make it- her and Dave collaborated though)
How Dave and Mindy assess an RSO’s threat to a church.
1.  Officer sends over the “report” on the individual
2.  Dave then meets with the RSO asking them:
A.  Why are you coming to see me?
B.  What is it that you did to be arrested?
C.  Inform them consent= if no identifiable things OK, BUT if there are Dr. MUST inform    authorities
D.  Some admit to what offense they have done, others usually end up coming to the point of admission in the course of treatment
1.  People will come around when they are more comfortable in treatment
2.  was sentencing agreed on before
3. Items are already in the “report” BUT if RSO is comfortable to discuss with Dave
A.  See if they are going to be open and honest
b.  If they confess something authority DID NOT know Dave legally must tell if a victim can be specifically identified.
Pastor White asked “Do pastors have to report too?”
Beth Swagman answered:

Mandated Reporters:  Pastors, Dr, nurses, any in the medical field, teachers * only churches that actively practice “confession” are the only ones that can legally not report the information

ASSESSMENT AREAS – hand out sheet
First 6 items on the sheet:
Things to work on in treatment: Reason for Referral, Consent, release, financial expectations, offense behavior, legal issues, other sexual behavior problems, other legal concerns.
—————————————————————————————————————————————
History
Family of Origin:  parents, siblings, current status
Adult relationship history:  married, divorced, etc.
Children:   do they have any? relationship with their children
School:  military, college, etc.
Medical:  psycho. analysis., mental, depression, any meds?
Mental Health:  depression
Substance Use/Abuse:  using now?, what?, how often?, 1^st use – heaviest use time, alcohol?, pot? Smoke – how often?
Spiritual : so they attend, do they want to attend? Want to come to Genesis group? Bible study?
Sexuality:  what are they?
Cultural: any? What area did they grow up in? ie. Military base?
Previous treatment:  if they were in, prison SO sex abuse treatment? What was it like? Did they grow from it?  Some bring their “plans” with them from prison classes, outpatient treatment program?
12-step program?

Other Ares:

Static 99R :  

Static 99R form handout – Canadian Prison system developed this by Carl Hansen (sp?)

HAND OUT—we will be going over it next month

Next meeting Thursday December 6, 2012 at 12-1:00pm