Problems With Texas' Outpatient Sexual Predator Program

From dallasmorningnews.com: When one of Texas' most dangerous sexual predators vanished from a Dallas halfway house two months ago, he simply sliced the electronic monitor from his ankle and strolled to a nearby convenience store before disappearing.

Mark Petersimes was one of 66 violent sexual predators who were judged to be so dangerous, so likely to offend again after they serve their prison time, that they were committed to an intensive supervisory program similar to house arrest.

The ease of his getaway highlights a major difference between Texas' civil commitment program and that of the 16 other states with such programs. Only Texas has an outpatient program that releases offenders into the community rather than keeping them under lock and key.

Rest of Article . . . [Mark Godsey]