The Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) provides comprehensive services to individuals who have been court-ordered to receive sex-offender-specific treatment. Most MSOP clients have completed prison sentences and as a public safety measure have been civilly committed by the court for an indefinite period of time. Under state law, the court may civilly commit a person as a “sexual psychopathic personality” or a “sexually dangerous person,” or both. While the facilities are secure and clients are not free to leave, MSOP is a treatment program, not a prison or correctional facility of any kind. Participation in treatment is voluntary.
As of June 30, 2025, there were 755 civilly committed clients in the program. Another 64 clients who have been provisionally discharged by the court were living in Minnesota communities under MSOP supervision and monitoring. In addition, fewer than 10 more clients have been granted provisional discharge and were awaiting community placement.
Only a court has the authority to place someone in MSOP. Most clients come from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC), where they have been serving prison sentences following convictions for sex offenses. Toward the end their sentences, all individuals convicted of sex offenses are reviewed for their risk to reoffend. The DOC decides which cases to refer to the county where the individual committed their crime. It is up to the county attorney to decide whether to pursue civil commitment proceedings in court. During a civil commitment proceeding, a judge must decide whether or not an individual meets the statutory criteria for civil commitment as a sexually dangerous person or a sexual psychopathic personality.
Only a court has the authority to discharge individuals from MSOP. Clients can petition the court for what is known as a reduction in custody. They may ask for:
Transfer to a less restrictive treatment setting known as Community Preparation Services
A provisional discharge, which allows clients to live, work and continue treatment in the community while under MSOP monitoring and supervision
A full discharge, which if granted means the civil commitment ends and the client is no longer under the jurisdiction of MSOP or the court.
Once the court receives a client petition for a reduction in custody, a special three-judge panel, known as the Commitment Appeal Panel, hears the case, makes a decision and issues an order. The panel considers such factors as:
The client's progress and treatment needs
The need for security to continue treatment
The need for continued treatment at a facility
Whether a transfer can be done and with a reasonable degree of public safety.
During this process, public safety is the top priority. Most clients have been living in institutions for many years. To prepare them for a transition into Community Preparation Services or to life in the community, MSOP has implemented a rigorous reintegration process. Reintegration programming includes gradual, measured increases in privileges. This allows clients to apply what they have learned in treatment, manage risk factors and demonstrate their ability to interact with others safely and responsibly on the MSOP campus and in the community.
Since the 1930s, Minnesota has had a civil commitment law since that was primarily used for those determined to be mentally ill and dangerous. It was not until the 1990s that these laws were revised and more widely implemented for sex offenders. MSOP opened in Moose Lake in 1995 to provide treatment to people who were committed as sexually dangerous persons or sexual psychopathic personalities. Prior to that, individuals with a history of sex offending behavior were committed the Forensic Mental Health Program (formerly the Minnesota Security Hospital) in St. Peter under the Psychopathic Personality Law.
Under Minnesota law, victims who want to receive notification of a client's change in status, which includes provisional discharge, must submit a written request to:
MSOP Admissions Coordinator
The Minnesota Sex Offender Program
1111 Highway 73
Moose Lake, MN 55767
