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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) -- The head of the state's Department of Corrections said Wednesday his department is following a court order calling for the release from custody or parole of hundreds of sex offenders, but he criticized the decision as "not good for public safety."

"What we know from research is that sex offenders need supervision," said John Suthers, executive director of the department. Still, Suthers stressed the offenders are not being released from their actual prison sentences any earlier because of Monday's ruling from the state Supreme Court.

"I don't think it's cause for panic," he said of the new releases. "The fact of the matter is we release sex offenders into the community on a regular basis, four or five a day in Colorado."

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Such offenders must register with local police in the communities where they live, and there are already 8,600 people on that registry, according to Suthers.

Monday, Colorado's high court rejected a request from the state's attorney general to reconsider a June ruling that basically said the state could not single out sex offenders for mandatory parole requirements. The ruling stemmed from confusion over a series of state laws about sentences.

As a result of the ruling, 43 sex offenders who had been in prison on parole violations were released Tuesday with another 72 expected throughout the week.

In addition, more than half of some 251 sex offenders serving mandatory parole were released from that supervision Tuesday and the rest are expected to follow suit today.

And some 1,145 sex offenders serving their prison sentences will not face mandatory parole. They could still face discretionary parole if they are released before their prison sentence expires.

Marte McNally, a local rape counselor, said the ruling brings "additional trauma" to victims of sexual assault.

"I believe that it's really discouraging and disheartening to victims of sex assault," she said, adding it would discourage people from reporting sex crimes.

Suthers said people can go to the local police or sheriff's office to get a copy of the sex offenders registry to find out if such individuals live in their community.

"People ought to be diligent all the time to make sure who their kids are associated with," he said.