New York's top court has upheld continuing civil confinement of a sex offender who completed his prison sentence, with the court majority saying there's an adequate record to support the conclusion he suffers from a qualifying "mental abnormality." WAMC's Dave Lucas has more...
Three dissenting judges say Tuesday that the rapist attracted to teenage girls is no more abnormal than any other repeat sex offender and it should be "constitutionally unacceptable" to keep him locked up.
The man, identified in court papers as Shannon S., has been convicted of four sex offenses with underage partners, including the forcible rape of a 13-year-old in 1999, and having a relationship with a 16-year-old in 2002 that resulted in her pregnancy.
State psychiatric examiners diagnosed him with paraphilia, or recurring sexual fantasies involving suffering. His doctor disagreed.
(c) 2012 Associated Press
