sex offenders

A state task force is recommending a major overhaul of Minnesota's laws governing sex offenders with a goal of creating more options to get them out of forced, indefinite treatment.

A special review board is recommending two repeat sex offenders be released from Minnesota's most secure treatment program.

A proposal to more than double prison sentences for the most serious sex crimes gets its first legislative hearing Tuesday. The House public safety committee considers legislation that would raise the recommended sentence for first-degree sex offenses from 12 years to 25 years.

Lawmakers are reacting skeptically to the prospect that two violent sex offenders could be released from a state treatment program. Court files identify them as John Rydberg and Thomas Duvall.

Minnesota's sex offender program may need money for an emergency expansion this year as treatment beds fill up.

A recent check of the sex offenders living in Morrison County shows that 108 of the 109 predatory offenders are in compliance with registration laws.