Title: The Minnesota Sex Offender Program, explained | MinnPost
Headings: The Minnesota Sex Offender Program, explained
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The Minnesota Sex Offender Program, explained
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Briana Bierschbach

Content: In a February ruling, using words like “draconian” and “broken,” Judge Frank raised questions about MSOP’s constitutionality and asked legislators to address his concerns during the 2014 session. Legislators failed to come up with a plan to fix the program, so Frank and a four-person panel of experts are reviewing each case of civil commitment in the state. The panel is also putting together a broader report on the program due out at the end of the summer. Article continues after advertisement
Who is Eric Terhaar? Terhaar is likely to be the first person ever fully released from the program, and represents a particularly vexing part of the program: 52 MSOP clients who have never been charged as adults as sex offenders. Terhaar’s offenses — which include the rape of his sister when he was 10 — all occurred before the age of 15. When the expert panel reviewed Terhaar’s case, it recommended him for unconditional release, saying he’s not a danger to the public. They also said people like Terhaar should never have been committed to MSOP alongside serial rapists and child molesters. Not only should the treatment of juvenile offenses be different from an adult’s treatment, they say, but juveniles’ likelihood of re-offending as an adult is much lower.