New Law: Modifying sex offender treatment

A new law modifies existing statutes to improve efficiencies in the state’s sex offender treatment program.

Some of the changes include:

• creating procedures for voluntary readmission to a secure facility for a civilly committed sex offender who has been provisionally discharged;

• strengthening and clarifying state agency and law enforcement authority roles in apprehending and returning a civilly committed sex offender who is absent without authorization;

• streamlining the sexually dangerous persons and sexually psychopathic personality commitment procedures to a single hearing, instead of two;

• modifying the community public notification, which ensures that community notification of the broadest scope available under the law is used when a civilly committed sex offender is going to reside in the community; and

• directing the Department of Human Services to work with the Revisor’s Office to develop legislation in 2012 that would reorganize sex offender civil commitment statutes so they are clear and distinguished from statutes that pertain to other civil commitment categories.

Sponsored by Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) and Sen. David Hann (R-Eden Prairie), the legislation was brought forward by program staff.

The law is effective May 28, 2011.

HF1478/ SF1287*/CH102