By Seamus McGraw
(Continued)
In fact, authorities later acknowledged, he had been released from a Minnesota prison just six months before Sjodin's abduction and slaying after serving 23 years for attempted kidnapping and assault. But despite the potential threat he apparently posed, Minnesota authorities had decided against trying to have him committed to a state security hospital, a procedure now becoming more widely used to contain potentially dangerous repeat offenders after they complete their sentences.
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| Alfonzo Rodriguez, Jr. |
Since Rodriquez' arrest in the Sjodin case, both Minnesota and North Dakota have adopted tougher sentencing procedures for sex offenders, and Minnesota now asks local prosecutors to review the cases of every Level Sex Offender nearing the end of their sentences to determine whether to seek commitment. Currently, some 350 Minnesota sex offenders are being held indefinitely in two secure hospitals, nearly twice the number held before Sjodin's death. Last year alone, 58 sex offenders were committed after completing their prison terms.
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