Ron Kokish

Ron Kokish is a clinical social worker (BCD, MFT) who has been a pioneering figure in sex offender treatment in California. He was affiliated with New Directions to Hope in Redding, California, where he directed sex offender treatment programs. Along with his partner Niki Delson, Kokish brought research-based sex offender treatment to California, and their program was the first in California to obtain court recognition for polygraphs as a treatment requirement. Kokish received the prestigious Fay Honey Knopp Award from the California Coalition on Sexual Offending (CCOSO), recognizing his distinguished leadership and innovation in the field.

Kokish's research contributions focused on the use of post-conviction sex offender polygraph testing (PCSOT) as a treatment and supervision tool. His most significant work examined how sex offenders themselves perceived polygraph testing in treatment settings. He published extensively on the role of post-conviction polygraph testing in sex offender treatment, including his 2003 paper in the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse and his widely-cited 2005 study with Levenson and Blasingame. The 2005 study surveyed 95 participants across 333 polygraph tests and found that clients agreed with examiners' opinions 90% of the time, with the majority reporting that polygraph testing was helpful. This research provided empirical data supporting the containment model for sex offender management, which integrates treatment, supervision, and monitoring including polygraph examinations.

Kokish's work significantly influenced sex offender management policy in California and beyond. Polygraph has been used in the context of treatment with sex offenders since the 1970s, but Kokish's research helped establish evidence-based standards for its application. His publications have been cited in major policy reviews, including the British Psychological Society's polygraph report and numerous international studies on sex offender supervision. As a recognized authority in the field, he advocated for balanced approaches to offender management, cautioning that punitive policies could drive offenders underground and increase rather than decrease public risk.