BOISE -- A kidnapping in California is putting parole officers under the spotlight across the nation.

This comes after a scathing report which says California parole officers failed to keep a close watch on a registered sex offender who allegedly held a girl captive for 18 years

The report says california parole officers failed to properly supervise sex offender Phillip Garrido and completely missed that Jaycee Dugard was helpd prisoner in his backyard for 18 years.

Critics say overwhelmed authorities are failing to supervise the almost 700,000 registered sex offenders nationwide.

In some states, according to the Associated Press, the ratio of sex offenders to probation officers is one hundred to one.

But it varies from place to place. In Florida there are 40 sex offenders for every parole officer, in Colorado it's 26 to one.

In Idaho, with 1,251 sex offenders in the community statewide? The idaho Department of Correction says the ratio is about 50 to 60 sex offenders for each officer and authorities say effective supervision is maintained.