In a case pitting convicted sex offenders against former Governor George Pataki, a jury decided Wednesday that the three-term governor did not violate the criminals' rights by authorizing a program to involuntarily commit them to mental institutions after they completed their sentences. Pataki wasn't in court to hear the verdict. A message left with his attorney, Abbe Lowell, wasn't immediately returned.
The case stemmed from Pataki's decision in 2005 to have heath and prison officials evaluate the worst sex offenders for possible civil commitment once released from prison. The practice was halted in 2006 after a state court found that several men who were committed should have been entitled to hearings before confinement. Some remained in psychiatric institutions for years afterward.
