Plaintiffs Awarded One Dollar A Piece As Former New York Governor George Pataki Is Found Not Liable For Sending Convicted Sex Offenders To Mental Institutions

A federal jury finds former New York Governor George Pataki not liable in a lawsuit filed against him by six convicted sex offenders who were confined to a mental institution after they served their time.

Former New York State Health Commissioner Sharon Carpinello was, however, found liable.

The 2005 mandate from the Governor's office allowed convicted, violent sex offenders to be institutionalized for a period of time following their release from prison.  New York was not the only state at the time that condoned the practice, intended to keep violent criminals off of the streets.

The State Court of Appeals ended the program in 2006, at which time there were already lawsuits being pursued against Pataki and members of his administration.

Glenn Goord, the former commissioner of correctional services and Eileen Consilvio, the former head of the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, were also cleared.  And, although Carpinello was found liable, the jury determined that no injuries were suffered by the six plaintiffs, and awarded them only one dollar each.