Corrections and Community Corrections

The Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) detains sex offenders in facilities in Moose Lake and St. Peter, Mn. It is a controversial program that has been in the national spotlight over the last few years and in 2015 a federal judge declared the program unconstitutional. He described it as “a punitive system that segregates and indefinitely detains a class of potentially dangerous individuals without the safeguards of the criminal justice system.” For this assignment, I would like for you to research the MSOP program by researching articles in the newspaper and on-line media sources (newspapers and traditional media outlets, no blogs). Read about the program, understand the controversy and answer the following five questions. Each question is worth five points. Read the question carefully and make sure to answer the question as completely as possible. I give guidelines on sentence minimums, but use at least five sentences per question. Also, you will have to cite the sources you use to answer the questions. If you are rusty on APA citations, here is a useful guide: HYPERLINK “https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/”https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/ Please include a Bibliography at the end of the assignment. Here are a few articles to serve as background information, use them to start your research. You can put the following into a Google search. HYPERLINK “http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/inside-minnesotas-sex-offender-facility-where-no-one-has-ever-been-released/” “ Inside Minnesota’s sex offender facility, where no one has ever been released PBS News hour” “Star Tribune-Sex offenders demand broad reforms of Minnesota’s troubled treatment program” “Washington Post Minnesota’s egregious sex offender confinement statute held unconstitutional” This is not a full list, just some suggestions to get you started. Make sure to do additional research- Question #1 What is the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP), who is detained in the program, where are they detained and for how long? (Answer with at least 5 sentences) Question #2 Why is the MSOP so controversial? Explain why it has been in the news, what parties are involved and how it is different from similar programs in other states. Why would politicians not want to touch this issue? (Answer with at least 5 sentences) Question #3 List and give an explanation for 5 arguments supporters of the MSOP system could use to defend the continued use of the Moose Lake and St. Peter facilities. Do not simply make a list, but explain each potential argument with at least one sentence, it may require more. Be persuasive, even if you don’t personally agree with the statement. Question #4 List and give an explanation for 5 arguments that opponents of the MSOP system use to demand that the program is radically changed. Do not simply make a list, but explain each potential argument with at least one sentence, it may require more. Be persuasive, even if you don’t personally agree with the statement. Question #5 If you were Governor and had to completely transform the program to address the federal judge’s concerns, what would you do with the MSOP program and the detainees involved? What is your plan and how would you explain it to the citizens of the state. Make sure to justify your potential solutions. (Answer with at least 7 sentences).