Federal law requires the Social Security Administration to suspend payments to sexual predators confined to “special commitment centers” – a facility where sexual predators are committed after serving their prison sentence if they are still considered a danger to the public.
The sexual predators were confined to four separate centers and had received $523,987 in payments, according to the inspector general. The agency has since suspended all payments to the individuals, according to the IG.
After the individuals had left prison for the commitment center they applied for a resumption in benefits that were suspended during their time in prison. While they were not eligible, there is no mechanism to ensure that special commitment centers report the individual’s new status to the Social Security Administration, according to the report.
The 18 sexual predators who received the payments were just a small fraction of the 2,058 people held at the four centers, according to the inspector general. The IG reached out to 23 special commitment centers to request inmate data.
A separate 2012 investigation identified 14 sexual predators in special commitment centers who received more than $500,000 in payments.
The IG made no recommendations but said the office would continue to monitor the situation.
