Source: minnesotareformer.com 8/30/24
As Minnesota marks 30 years of the Minnesota Sex Offender Program this week, let’s think of its true impact: a waste of vast resources under the guise of public safety.
MSOP supposedly provides residential treatment after prison for those convicted of sex crimes deemed too dangerous to release into the public, but it is actually an unconstitutional nightmare — a life sentence based on what someone might do.
MSOP was never meant to be a permanent solution, but the reality is most of the more than 700 civilly committed people will probably never be released. Just 25 have been fully released, 109 conditionally released, and more than 94 have died in custody.
MSOP cries out for a serious reevaluation of how the state addresses sexual violence. Among the 20 states with similar programs, Minnesota is an outlier, with the highest per capita rate of commitment and one of the lowest rates of discharge in the nation.
What would be the solution to get actual facts to lawmakers?
Then what would be the solution to get them to listen?
I think abuse survivors like myself would much prefer programs that work.
The hard part is to get other survivors onboard. Because their voice is the loudest!
So how do we convince them with actual facts that the better path forward is not one of vengeance?