Veteran parole officers know that sex offenders typically are “manipulative and secretive,” says Bill Burrell, former director of adult probation in New Jersey, who now trains officials. “They don’t want people looking around” to find violations of their release conditions. Agents appear to have done only superficial checking on Garrido, Burrell says, adding, “They should have done more aggressive searches of the property.”
Another longtime parole official, who declined to be identified, called the California case a
“major screw-up.” Said this official: “One of the main reasons to do home visits is to ensure there is nothing out of the ordinary occurring at the residence. The fact that they did not see the tent [where the young women were living] is unbelievable. Thorough examination of the residence looking for signs of wrongful activities specific to the offender’s criminal history is vital.”
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