SOISO (Sex Offender Intensive Supervision Officer)
In 2006, the Legislature passed the Child Protection Act, giving special duties to West Virginia probation officers to provide more stringent supervision to those convicted of sexual offenses in the State of West Virginia. The Sex Offender Intensive Supervision program was developed under the leadership of then-Chief Justice Robin Jean Davis in 2006 and 2007 during her “Year of the Child” and “Year of the Child, Too.”
The Division of Probation Services, under the leadership of Director Mike Lacy and Deputy Director Caren Bills, began developing a supervision policy for sex offenders under the supervision of West Virginia probation officers. In 2008, the division rolled out the specialized sex offender intensive supervision unit, which was a first in the history of West Virginia probation. These officers work as multi-judicial circuit probation officers. These officers supervise only sex offenders. They work out of their vehicles, not offices. They work holidays, nights, weekends, and hours in between, to provided intensive community supervision. The officers also work with circuit judges and treatment providers to make sure offenders are complying with court orders. The extended supervision includes polygraph examinations and electronic monitoring.
All six regions are in place serving fifty-five counties. Each region has a lead officer which acts as the local supervisor for that area. Click here for printer-friendly pdf version of the map.
