Federal District Court Finds Minnesota’s Sex Offenders Program Unconstitutional

ST. PAUL, MINN – The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is pleased that the United States District Court for the State of Minnesota found Minnesota’s sex offenders treatment program unconstitutional. In the ruling Judge Frank declared the program unconstitutional and ordered that Minnesota must take steps to remedy the problems with the program.

The ACLU-MN filed an amicus brief in the case arguing the program is unconstitutional.

The following statement can be attributed to the ACLU-MN’s Executive Director, Charles Samuelson.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is pleased that the Federal District Court found Minnesota’s sex offender treatment program to be unconstitutional. The ACLU-MN has long argued the current program to be unconstitutional. However, this is only a first step in remedying the program’s deficiencies. Minnesota’s top elected officials need to act expediently to ensure that the program is fixed in a timely manner. All Minnesotans deserve their rights afforded to them under the Constitution. This program denies hundreds of people their constitutional rights when it locks them up indefinitely as a means of preventive detention for possible future crimes.

The order can be found here: http://www.aclu-mn.org/files/3014/3456/5828/Karsjens_order_6.17.15.pdf

Learn more about the case here: http://www.aclu-mn.org/legal/casedocket/karsjens-v-jesson/

Learn more about the American Civil Liberties Union of MInnesota here: http://www.aclu-mn.org/