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| County attorneys, corrections chief agree on how to handle sex offenders' release |
| By Minneapolis Star Tribune |
| Published: 01/05/2004 |
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County attorneys from across Minnesota and state Corrections Department commissioner Joan Fabian ironed out differences last Monday over how to handle Level 3 sex offenders when they are released from prison. Fabian said her department will give prosecutors inmate records and psychological assessments a year before the offenders are released to help prosecutors decide whether to seek civil commitments. The information will include assessments of the inmates' dangerousness, but the department will stick by its new policy of not recommending which offenders should be civilly committed, she said. Freeborn County Attorney Craig Nelson, president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, left the meeting pleased with the outcome and said there was "a good deal of resolution" reached. Fabian had announced Dec. 4 the new policy of not recommending civil commitment as controversy swirled around Corrections Department officials' decision not to refer for commitment Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., who is charged with kidnapping Dru Sjodin, when he was released from prison in May. Fabian said that Rodriguez's release was a mistake, and that her department did not have the legal expertise necessary to recommend which offenders prosecutors should try to commit. Some county attorneys criticized Fabian, saying that she was abdicating responsibility by refusing to make recommendations. They said she should have consulted with prosecutors before implementing the new policy. Seven prosecutors, including those from the counties that handle the most Level 3 cases, met with Fabian last Monday. Obtaining the inmate information earlier will help prosecutors better manage the amount of time and expense required to determine when to initiate a civil commitment process, which can be very costly, said Nelson. Since Dec. 4, the state Corrections Department has sent the names of dozens of Level 3 sex offenders who either have been released from prison or will soon be released to county attorneys for possible civil commitments. |
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