When a sex offender gets out of prison, some victims want to know, can he own a gun?

Can he live anywhere he wants?

And what if we run into each other at the supermarket?

In November 2005, Denise Giles, victim services coordinator at the Department of Corrections, launched a pilot program in Androscoggin County with federal grant money to get victims together with probation officials, assault crisis workers and whoever else they’d like to answer those questions right before their assailant leaves the state prison system.

It started here because, at the time, a large number of released people were moving to this county. After three months, it expanded statewide. The program’s been slow to take off – roughly 150 people have gotten out of prison, but only 24 victims have taken part in safety-planning meetings – but it’s helped those who have, Giles said.

“This can be a huge event for a survivor to have their perpetrator released, and that wasn’t a piece we were doing a very good job in addressing before,” said Executive Director Marty McIntyre at the Sexual Assault Crisis Center.

Since most victims know their attacker, there’s a strong chance they’ll run into each other once he or she is back in the community, she said.

“It takes a while for people to understand the benefit. Sometimes for some people, when the conviction happens, they kind of put a period on the end of the sentence,” McIntyre added.They never want to hear that person’s name, or think about them, ever again.

Only 25 percent of victims specifically ask after sentencing to be notified when their offender is released, Giles said. However, since 2000, prompted by a string of high-profile releases, she’s tried to contact every victim of a sex crime.

“You were seeing these (sex offender notifications) on TV. I’m thinking, would I want my 8-year-old walking to school and seeing a picture on a telephone pole and that’s how she learns the bad man is getting out of jail? No, it isn’t.”

Now, in those contact letters she offers victims the chance for a safety planning meeting.

As for what to do in a supermarket, if a victim runs into someone who’s supposed to have no contact with them: Giles said if the offender is already in line, it’s OK for them to keep checking out. If they’re still shopping, it’s their responsibility to leave the store immediately. If they don’t, the victim should phone police.