A Minnesota group will study the laws that govern people convicted of a sex offense this year and provide a report to the Legislature in January.
The state budget includes $25,000 for the creation of a Predatory Offense Statutory Framework Working Group by Sept. 1.
It will examine the state’s predatory offense registration laws including “the requirements placed on people convicted of an offense, the crimes for which POR is required, the method by which POR requirements are applied to people convicted of an offense and the effectiveness of the POR system in achieving its stated purpose,” according to the omnibus public safety law.
Two years ago the state launched a similar working group that recommended a number of changes to the state’s criminal sexual conduct laws. Many of those reforms were made into law in the two-year budget finalized June 30.
Minnesota’s first sex offense registration law took effect in 1991. It created the Sex Offense Registration Unit at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, according to the BCA website.
In 2000 the unit was changed to Predatory Offense Registration, and now it includes investigative support staff and special agents who monitor and track registered people, according to the BCA. “The unit processes approximately 30,000 updates each year.”
People can be classified as predatory for convictions that include criminal sexual conduct, murder, felony-level indecent exposure, soliciting a minor to engage in sexual conduct, possession of child pornography, kidnapping and false imprisonment in Minnesota.
“The way our system works is once you’re flagged for something, you’re flagged forever,” said Lauren Rimestad, director of development and communications for the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
People in the victim-survivor community are starting to see that those who use violence and power and perpetrate these crimes have traits that make them vulnerable to victimization too, she said.
“What we are understanding is the more we look at people as one whole person, we kind of see the impact that flagging someone for the rest of their life could have, especially on their family members and how they are able to contribute to society,” Rimestad said.
The new working group must reflect diverse and marginalized voices, including the perspectives of victims and survivors, according to the language in the budget.
Members of the group will include:
- Experts on juvenile justice,
- Representatives from city and county prosecuting agencies,
- Members of statewide crime victim coalitions,
- Representatives from the state judicial branch,
- Representatives from the Minnesota Board of Public Defense,
- Private criminal defense attorneys,
- Staff from the Departments of Public Safety and Human Services and the Sentencing Guidelines Commission along with
- Representatives from state and local law enforcement agencies.
The group must submit a report to lawmakers with findings and recommendations by January 15, 2022.
Editor’s note: This story is one in a series featuring parts of the new, two-year state budget that affect Central Minnesotans. By: Nora G. Hertel. Nora Hertel is the government watchdog reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-255-8746 or nhertel@stcloudtimes.com.
So possession of pictures and taking a life is equal in the eyes of this law. Neither of which is actually predatory behavior according to those who have studied both offenses. Sure there is the unicorn serial killer or the collector of photos, but to label every single offender of these two crime a predator is so far reaching as to be puritanical nonsense.
Whenever I hear about wanting victims input I would like to start to see more diverse victims represented. When I say diverse I mean people who want those who harm held to account for their actions, absolutely, but also do not find it ok or find joy in victimizing others themselves. All that does is keeps the cycle going. Everyone looses. I don’t want to tell a victim how they should feel, I just want more representation because we do not all feel the same.
I think it’ll be really interesting to see their assessment of “effectiveness of the POR system in achieving its stated purpose.” I anticipate some remarkable statistical gymnastics to attempt to show their system is anything but a colossal waste of money and resources and achieves absolutely nothing.
Stated purpose verses actual purpose can mean vastly different things…
By 2030 my perdition is Megan’s law will only include people labeled “SVP” and people with multiple sex crimes the DOJ representing each state in America are overwhelmed with the number of people listed on the registry. They’re gonna start separating and dividing people on the registery into levels in order to shrink it and make it more manageable but for this to happen there has to be a sacrificial Lam an scapegoat someone the public can shame and harrass and unfortunately that’s tier3.
I had been keeping an eye on this.
A couple of things. This INCREASED the severity of certain criminal offenses and made some things that used to be misdemeanors, felonies and also some things that used to 3rd degree conduct now 1st degree conduct which carries a tougher potential sentence.
Second, the wording in the law for the working group is as follows:
“The commissioner shall fully coordinate with the commissioner of public safety
to invite and convene a working group that includes members that have specific expertise on juvenile justice and representatives from city and county prosecuting agencies, statewide crime victim coalitions, the Minnesota judicial branch, the Minnesota Board of Public Defense, private criminal defense attorneys, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Human Services, the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, and state and local law enforcement agencies. **EMPHASIZED** The commissioner may also invite other interested parties to participate in the working group. The commissioner shall ensure that the membership of the working group is balanced among the various representatives and reflects a broad spectrum of viewpoints, and is inclusive of marginalized communities **END EMPHASIZED** as well as victim and survivor voices.”
That means somehow we must DEMAND that the voice of registrants is included in this working group and it would be REALLY nice if we could get Dr. Horowitz (I’d say Janice too but she’s pretty busy in Cali) involved in this too somehow.
Riverside county public defenders office “FRESH START PROGRAM” are helping registrant’s expunged and reduce their felony conviction to misdemeanours and also helping registrant’s petition for removal from the registry.
If anyone is interested in applying for this program call Lawanda Martinez at
(951) 955-6072
A former WI governor commanded state’s DOC to publish the same kind of report. They always come with a summery executive report hitting the highlights and offers breakdowns about the real property held, the conditions of grounds, capacity, buildings facilities, staffing proportion,
inmate proportion ( race, age, crime, term length, etc.) and finally budgets and funding sources.
Registration fees are not getting paid by about 35% of WI registrants, and the deficit is applied to money due to DOC accounts column to decrease the number of real deficit.States thinks. it will collect come tax time but that’s not happening either. Unemployable people do not pay taxes.
The conflict constitutionally played out in Ramnesh V ?, and Madison district fed. judge rule fee was an unlawful increase in forfeiture due collectively 100.00 USD annually registration regimes fees in excess section code at the time of offenses. Then the case went to the 7th ( w\ only the fee issue surviving) and those idiots debated whether it was a ” tax” or a “fee” in the context :w\ black and white forfeiture statute limits ( congressional intent!) AND a prima facia ex post challenge – requiring the same Intent\ Effect two part test used in Doe03. UPHELD! despite the fact in effect either way cash @100.00USD goes out of the citizen registrants pockets. Obviously and willfully an absurd opinion but very reflective both parties preference tracks toward government funding. One raises taxes, the other raises user fees, either way the costs go up! Especially when they are each chasing their electronic tails.
The “sex offender” registry, aka Megan’s Law, is evidence that America is a complete joke of a country. The Constitution is a joke to most politicians, including judges, as well as law enforcement. Only very few of them take their oath seriously.
I seriously can’t believe as children, we were brainwashed by schools to perform the Pledge of Allegiance, sing the Star Spangled Banner, and learn history from a propagandized perspective. Let’s not forget how this land was criminally stolen, at the cost of lives, from Native Americans and Mexicans.
America is literally a joke: Homelessness at all time highs, cost of living and housing at all time highs, obscene healthcare costs, weakening infrastructure, record inflation, a weakening dollar, fudged employment and GDP figures, sky-high incarceration, a bloated ‘sex offender’ registry that only grows over time, blatant/outright corruption by public officials, the list goes on…
Meanwhile, according to one Registered Citizen from the meetings, he was able to travel to — get this — Russia. The police officer there said they aren’t as harsh as the United States as long as he ‘behaves’ on his visit there.
Lol what a joke. Russia literally is better than the United States in this regard.
We all have been lied to about how “great” America is.
And this clown of a country literally makes it impossible for us to relocate to better countries by locking us with the ‘sex offender’ label, imposed by corrupt public officials and bureaucrats.
Zero respect for the United States of America. Zero.
To me, the fact the Legislature even created this board is a step ahead. How many of us even a few years ago would have predicted such an event? Remember, too, that MN is a very liberal State so things could come out better than one would expect. As well, MN is SORNA non-compliant, which IMO is already a good sign.
Now if they would just their act together regarding the hosprisoners…
Stp sex offender registration. Unconstatutional against the Equal Protection Clause.It only puts the criminals life in danger.