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State Representative Tony Cornish
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4240
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS RELEASE
REP. CORNISH AUTHORS BILL TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE SENTENCES FOR PREDATORY SEX OFFENDERS
ST. PAUL – In an effort to prevent Minnesota’s most dangerous sex offenders from being released back into society, State Representative Tony Cornish (R-Good Thunder) is authoring legislation that would actually place and keep the worst sex offenders behind bars.
“We’re housing our sex offenders in private facilities and we’re getting no bang for our buck,” Cornish said. “Not only has our current sex offender program failed to cure any of these predators, but Minnesota taxpayers are footing a tremendous bill to house these individuals. So far, they’ve received a zero return on their investment after nearly two decades.”
Recently, Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor released a report saying that the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) has significant flaws. In analyzing the facilities at Moose Lake and St. Peter where 575 of Minnesota’s worst sexual predators are treated, the Auditor found the costs of the program to be excessive, and the institutions themselves to be understaffed.
An official from the Moose Lake center recently told a House public safety panel that not one sex offender had ever been successfully treated to the point where they could be released back into society without fear of re-offense.
Under Cornish’s bill, a person convicted of a first- through fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, and is proven by a jury to be a predatory sex offender, will serve a minimum of twice the presumptive sentence for this offense in prison, and a maximum of 60 years. Once the mandatory minimum sentence is served, Minnesota’s Commissioner of Corrections would decide whether the predator should remain behind bars.
With the number of Minnesota’s convicted sex offenders expected to double over the next ten years, Cornish said a more permanent and cost effective solution is necessary.
“The public wants assurances that our most violent offenders will never again attack an innocent victim,” Cornish said. “Under our current laws, we can’t give them that assurance. It’s clear our sex offender treatment centers are not working, and they have cost Minnesotans countless millions over the years. It’s time we all come to the realization that our worst sex offenders are incapable of being cured and that we should put them where they belong – in prison.”
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