Lawyers Seek Man’s Release From Offender Program

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Attorneys for a man who was committed to Minnesota's sex offender program for crimes he committed as a child say his confinement violates his rights.

The man's attorneys want a federal judge to declare that he is being held unconstitutionally.

But attorneys for the state are asking that the court let the state process play out, to transfer him to a less restrictive setting.

Closing arguments were made Tuesday during a two-day hearing to determine whether the man and a woman, also in the program, are being improperly held.

U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank says he'll issue a decision within 30 days.

In 2011, a group of residents filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the program is unconstitutional because it keeps them locked up indefinitely after they complete their prison sentences.