Defendants facing sex crime charges in Minnesota have good reason to want to understand how the state’s sex offender registry program works. If convicted of a sex crime, a person may need to participate in this program and that participation may have long-lasting effects on a person’s life.
One of those effects is what some say is an overly long stay in prison. An effort has been underway to make changes that would help more sex crime defendants get out of prison and out of the sex offender program and move forward with their lives in positive ways. In 2015, a court actually declared the program unconstitutional because of the length of time that it kept some people incarcerated. The ruling came as part of a lawsuit initiated on the part of 700 defendants.
More recently, however, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has handed down a blow to that decision, saying that program is indeed constitutional. The case now goes back to a lower court for further review. Reports indicate that the matter may be far from over as additional appeals to this latest ruling are planned and are an important part of protecting the rights of defendants.
Upon being arrested for and charged with a sex crime in Minnesota, people might want to talk with an attorney. This can provide insight into the changing set of rules and penalties that a person may face if convicted of some type of sex crime in Minnesota.
Source: KARE11.com, “MN sex offender program ruled constitutional,” Jan. 3, 2017
