Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Tim Pugmire
St. Paul, Minn.

Dayton, lawmakers hear suggested changes to sex offender law

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders received a private briefing Tuesday on several proposed changes to Minnesota Sex Offender Program that aim to reduce the number of people detained under civil commitment.

Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson, who heads a 15-member task force on the program, briefed the governor and legislators on its recent report, which calls for a reworking of the civil commitment process, now under a federal court challenge.

The recommendations include giving judges the option of sending sex offenders who have completed their sentences to less restrictive treatment programs instead of to prison-like treatment facilities where most are detained indefinitely.

Nearly 700 people who have already served prison sentences for sex crimes are confined indefinitely at state facilities in Moose Lake, Minn., and St. Peter, Minn., because courts have deemed them too dangerous to release. Although technically not prisons, the compounds are ringed with barbed wire.

Senate Minority Leader David Hann said attendees reached no conclusions about the recommendations. Hann said he'll wait to see specific proposals from the governor and DFL leaders next session.

"There's sort of agreement that what we are doing is constitutionally sound. But there are questions about how that is applied that have raised some concerns, and I think those concerns are broadly shared by republicans and Democrats," said Hann, R-Eden Prairie. "You don't want to have, for example, people incarcerated in this structure who've never committed a crime, and there are a number who are in that category."

House Speaker Paul Thissen said afterwards that he thought the meeting helped legislative leaders better understand the challenges ahead.

"Well, I think that fact that everybody showed up and sat around a table is an important first step," said Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis. "Clearly it has to be bipartisan. Everybody has expressed interest in doing something. It's just not clear what the specifics are. So, we have to continue to work with that."