Board of Corrections acknowledges they have heard same complaints for years

Two years have passed since families and advocates of incarcerated individuals demanded to know why prison sentences were being bureaucratically prolonged.

Two years have passed since they demanded to know why non-violent sex offenders who cleared treatment are being referred for civil commitment.

Two years have passed since they demanded to know why the Attorney General’s Office seemingly drags its feet when reviewing referrals.

Despite making very little progress — though not through lack of trying — the supporters remain committed to attending every single Iowa Board of Corrections meeting and using their full two minutes of public comment to get their points across and share their stories, hoping one of these years someone will listen.

Jim Kersten, a member of the Iowa Board of Corrections, acknowledged just last week that families and advocates have been begging them for years to address their concerns. While the board has held presentations in the past about the civil commitment process, he urged the Attorney General’s Office to help them.

“We hear these continued — literally the last several years — complaints,” Kersten said during the Board of Corrections meeting on July 18. “And I just think it would be helpful not only for ourselves but for the public to understand what is the situation and how can we improve it. So that’s all I have to say.”

For the past year, supporters were told to wait patiently for a representative from Iowa Attorney General’s Office to attend the meeting and give a general overview of their role in the civil commitment process for Newton Correctional Facility inmates. This process determines whether an inmate gets enrolled in the Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders.

In order to be eligible for the CCUSO, an inmate must meet the criteria for a sexually violent predator and have a “mental abnormality” that makes it more likely they will engage in future sexually violent acts. Supporters say inmates are being erroneously referred for civil commitment, extending their stays in prison.

The multidisciplinary team (MDT) handles the civil commitment referrals and identifies potential sexually violent predators that need closer review from the Attorney General’s Office, which has a timeline of 90 days before an offender finishes their sentence. Supporters have pointed out this as another main issue.

However, the likelihood of someone from the state attorney general’s office actually attending the board meeting is now greatly diminished.

Dr. Beth Skinner, the director of the Iowa Department of Corrections, said to board members and the public earlier in the meeting that the attorney general’s office is in litigation regarding the MDT. As a result, she said Attorney General’s Office would not provide comment.

“I reached out to the Attorney General’s Office, and they cannot speak on MDT because it is current litigation,” Skinner said. “So I know people have been asking for that information and for them to show up. But at this point in time they cannot because there is active litigation on that.”

Skinner added that a past presentation has explained the civil commitment program itself and how the MDT’s role fits into that process.