Bettison Testifies before Senate Committee Regarding Predatory Offender Registry
Bettison recently testified in support of legislation designed to appropriately scale back Minnesota’s Predatory Offender Registry and it’s impact on those people required to registry. Bettison has been a long-time advocate for changes to this law, which, in her words, is an “albatross” that is costing Minnesota taxpayers millions of dollars to sustain and may, in fact, be inimical to public safety. Bettison’s published an award-winning article in 2019 regarding the registry, entitled “The New Scarlett Letter: Is Minnesota’s Predatory Offender Registry helping or hurting?” in Minnesota Bench and Bar.
Minnesota’s Predatory Offender Registry has long been a source of controversy, criticism and litigation, particularly by the defense bar and academics, as being too harsh, too complicated, too costly for Minnesota taxpayers, and counter-productive to public safety (which is the whole point).
Bettison was co-chair of the Minnesota Predatory Offender Statutory Framework Working Group in 2021-2022, resulting in a 200+ page report that the working group sent to the Minnesota Legislature.
This session the Minnesota Legislature is undertaking reforms suggested by the working group. Bettison testified in support of those changes on Friday, March 22, 2024 before the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Senator Ron Latz, in support of SF 5026, sponsored by Senator Jason Rarick. The companion bill, HF 3555, sponsored by Representatives Kelly Moller and Marion Rarick (formerly O’Neill) is also moving through the legislature.
Three changes are now underway in the legislature:
1. Remove false imprisonment as a registrable offense;
2. Restart registration period for imprisonment due to conviction for a new offense that requires registration (currently it is ANY offense resulting in incarceration); and
3. Extends the time period for a juvenile to complete treatment for 24 months (currently it is 180 days) so the court may ultimately dismiss the petition and the child would not have to register assuming the court finds that disposition is appropriate once treatment is completed.
Watch Senator Rarick’s introduction, Senator Latz’s and other committee members’ questions, and Bettison’s testimony beginning at 4:50.