Minnesotans who receive the label “sex offender,” and are determined either a “sexually dangerous person” or “a person with a sexual psychopathic tendency,” now face the potential for life incarceration in a civil commitment facility. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held the North Star State’s policy of locking up allegedly dangerous persons for an indeterminate period of time is completely rational and rooted in legitimate government interests. Full Article
Related
MN: Appeals Court – Sex Offender Program Constitutional (ACSOL)
Collection of recent articles….
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2017/01/06/minnesota-sex-offender-program
http://www.startribune.com/let-s-use-court-ruling-to-look-anew-at-msop/409940485/
http://www.startribune.com/civil-commitment-ruling-a-setback-for-civil-rights-reforms/409940215/
Locking up Japanese in internment camps was considered a government interest too. Old ideas are new again! Gotta love recycling…
A quote from the article:
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Yes, the Eighth Circuit admitted civil commitment was a “significant deprivation of liberty.”
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Crazy that was basically the admission of the court!
The rational basis has no scientific base support for it, whereas the countless recordings of low recidivism rates are synonymous in results.
Fear mongering vs Scientific fact finding. That’s basically what this has come down to… Michigan decision vs Others.
so I guess freedom is no longer a fundamental right so it only takes a rational basis review in order to be constitutional….
this ruling should terrify anyone who reads it..based on this ruling the government can lock up anyone indefinitely if there is a rational basis linked to protecting public safety. ie. drunk drivers,drug dealers,gang bangers,assault suspects,domestic violence abusers,just to name a few…there is more of a rational basis for those categories of offenders who have a exponential rate of recidivism compared to ex sex offenders and who’s crimes are just as heinous in most cases and more heinous in a lot of them…scary ruling indeed….
these terrorist (judges) should be immediately removed from their official capacities and be barred from being any type of an official of the courts or public office….this is another blatent disregard for the Constitution and an act of war against US citizens…if this holds true for ex sex offenders then it needs to apply to any and all persons ever convicted of a crime…internment camps under the guise of medical or psychiatric facilities here we come….
man after reading this decision more closely im blown away by the fact that these so called justices seem to think that in order for a statute to be unconstitutional it must not only violate a fundamental right but it must shock the conscience..since when did the threshold for a violation of the cruel and unusual punishment clause become the standard of review for determining what level of scrutiny the courts apply in any constitutional challenge?? this is absolutely insane..
yeah we’re just crying right? you know whats really odd about some of these suits is the fact that they don’t mention the fact that these laws are unjustifiable and that they are all based on the pretext of frightening and high recidivism rates…the Michigan case is the first and only instance that the facts have been presented and what happened? the court agreed in very strong words and the issue wasn’t even presented with much force or a bombardment of empirical evidence..there is no way the courts could worm out of the unjustification or the equal protection clause and especially the right to reputation that has already been determined by the courts to be a fundamental right that is actually being violated by the registration scheme..why wont somebody take what has proved successful and what scotus and even the California supreme Court has hinted at in every way besides coming right out and saying it, and run with it.