Registered Sex Offenders & Reentry Success

1. Prior to enrolling for the first time, RSOs must contact the Reentry Navigator and complete the RSO Intake Form. 

2. RSOs must work with the Reentry Navigator and Campus Safety and Security Director to provide all required documentation; Campus Safety and Security may also work alongside law enforcement to gather relevant documentation concerning convictions, treatment, restrictions, and reentry status.  

3. RSOs will then be invited to a Reentry Support Meeting, which will involve a discussion on the RSO’s prior cases, encompassing safety measures, support services, and communication protocols between stakeholders.  

4. Once approved, the RSO must communicate all subsequent schedule changes to the Reentry Navigator, including enrollment for subsequent terms.  

5. Notifications to parties will be conducted by the Office of the VPSA.  

6. Adhere to all communicated expectations; failure to do so may result in a violation of the Olympic College Student Conduct Code (WAC 132C-120-065(19)).  

7. The Reentry Navigator will conduct periodic check-ins with the registered sex offender to monitor progress, address concerns, and adapt the reentry support plan and expectations as required. 

The resource below can assist with integration post-incarceration, across a variety of topics such as education, employment, advocacy, legal support, and housing.

• Washington Reentry Guide

Find answers to common questions about reentry from experts in Washington state law.

• Civil Survival – Equity. Community. Lived Experience

Civil Survival organizes system-impacted people, provides legal representation, and advocates for policy reform to restore opportunity to communities harmed by the criminal legal system.

• Center for Employment Opportunity

Center for Employment Opportunities offers individuals just coming home from prison the ongoing support necessary to build career capital and financial stability. We believe that everyone, regardless of their past, deserves the chance to work toward a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

• Washington’s College in Prisons Program | SBCTC

Information on prison education programs.

• National Reentry Resource Center

Funded and administered by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Reentry Resource Center is the nation's primary source of information and guidance in reentry. 
 

College campuses, especially public colleges, are public spaces like any other. The campus is a welcoming space for the public and reflects the diversity, opportunities, and risks that accompany any public space. While Olympic College follows the law and best practices in identifying RSOs and ensuring a safe environment, individuals on campus must also use their best judgment in ensuring their own safety.

The following are some basic personal safety tips as you navigate our campuses.

• Remember that our campuses and class spaces are public spaces and that as an open access institution, there are few restrictions on who can visit or attend Olympic College.
• Familiarize yourself with your campus and identify the emergency systems available, such as call buttons.
• Avoid walking alone at night, especially in dark areas or areas without streetlights; Campus Safety & Security can escort you when necessary.
• Tell friends or family where you are going, especially at night, and go with a trusted friend.
• Always lock your doors, especially when you’re alone or asleep.
• If you post where you are on social media, do it after you have left so you do not alert potential predators of your location.
• Be sure to ask for consent clearly and honor the person’s response before you become intimate with someone.
• Avoid losing awareness of your surroundings, which may due to a focus on technology, or becoming substantially under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Consider taking a self-defense course or carrying pepper spray and/or a whistle.

Supporting RSO integration is a small part of the broader effort to support reentry. Supporting RSOs on a college campus can be particularly challenging, as it involves balancing the safety of the campus community with the potential for rehabilitation and reintegration of the individuals involved. Here are some ways that faculty and staff can approach this complex issue while upholding both legal and ethical responsibilities:

• Maintain Confidentiality: Respect the privacy and confidentiality of registered sex offenders in accordance with applicable laws while sharing information only with those who have a legitimate need to know.
• Communicate & Reach Out: Read notifications that you receive thoroughly and reach out if you have any questions; sometimes notifications will also extend to students in your class or under your guidance, in which case you will also need to be able to answer questions from students. If you need additional support, reach out to the Reentry Navigator, Director of Community Standards, Director of Campus Safety & Security, or the Vice President of Student Affairs.
• Knowledge: Be familiar with the information on this webpage as well as the Policy on Notification of Sex Offenders (OCP 200-04), titled "Release of Sex Offender Information.”
• Check-Ins: While the Reentry Navigator is the designated student success support staff member for RSOs and will conduct regular check-ins with the RSO, it is helpful for faculty and staff to check-in to provide guidance and assistance for the student.
• Supportive Services: When necessary, refer the student to reentry, counseling, advising, or other services that focus on rehabilitation, social skills development, and addressing any underlying issues that may contribute to offending behavior.
• Supporting Compliance: Communicate and report any concerns or questions with the RSO Support Team or through a OC Report It welfare concern report to ensure that RSOs are compliant with any requirements, such as restrictions on interactions, presence in restricted areas, etc.

• Second Substitute House Bill 1044 - Signed into law in April of 2021, creating prison to postsecondary education pathways.
• Substitute Senate Bill 5069 - Signed into law in July of 2017, SSB 5069 lifted the 1995 ban on using state funding for college courses in prisons. In the interest of reducing recidivism and enhancing employment rates in a cost-effective manner, the law authorizes the Department of Corrections to allocate state funding for community colleges to provide associate degree programs to incarcerated individuals. 
• Executive Order 16-05: Building Safe and Strong Communities Through Successful Reentry- Issued by Governor Jay Inslee on April 26,2016, EO 16-05 outlines steps state agencies should take to lower Washington’s recidivism rate, by improving reentry outcomes. They include instructions to establish mandatory reentry-orientation programs for every individual entering and exiting a correctional facility, reduce barriers to state employment for those with criminal records, identify mechanisms for providing an create a statewide correctional post-secondary education and apprenticeship pathway for youth and adults in collaboration with DOC, JR, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.       
• House Bill 1553: Certificate of Restoration of Opportunity (CROP) – Taking effect in June of 2016, HB 1553 provides a process for individuals previously sentenced by a Washington court and who have successfully changed their lives to seek a court document confirming their changed circumstances. A CROP is available to individuals convicted of a misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or less-serious felony (or adjudicated in juvenile court for equivalent offenses) so long as certain eligibility requirements are met.  To be eligible, a person must be “in compliance with or have completed all sentencing requirements imposed by a court,” must have no pending charges, and must not have been arrested for or convicted of a new crime.           
• House Bill 1298: Fair Chance Act – Effective June 7, 2018, The Fair Chance Act delays criminal background checks and inquiries about an applicant’s arrest and conviction records, until after they have been determined to be otherwise qualified for the job. The law covers both public- and private-sector employers
• Senate Bill 6582: The Washington Fair Chance to Education Act – Similar to HB 1298, which extends “ban the box” protections for job seekers, SB 6582, which also became effective June 7, 2018, prohibits institutions of higher education from requesting criminal history upon initial application, unless a third-party application is used. After an applicant has been deemed qualified for admission, an institution of higher education may inquire into or obtain information about an applicant's criminal conviction history for the purpose of:
• accepting or denying admission or restricting access to campus residency; or
• offering supportive counseling or services to help rehabilitate and educate the student on barriers a criminal record may present. The institution cannot deny admission or restrict residency without evaluating the relationship between the applicant’s criminal history and the program or residency context under consideration.