Fwd: FW: Rutgers symposium
Spike CO
From: William Dobbs <duc...@mindspring.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 30, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Subject: RE: FW: Rutgers symposium
To: Eldon Dillingham <eldoncdi...@gmail.com>
Cc: Rick Cagan
Bill Dobbs comments to a Kansas advocate related to the Rutgers Law School symposium "No Exit" held April 17, 2026.
From: William Dobbs <duc...@mindspring.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2026 11:14 AM
To: Rick Cagan
Subject: RE: Rutgers symposium
Rick –
I am not aware of any access to a recording. The symposium in Newark ran all day. I figured this topic would draw twenty people. Surprise—there were 45 at the start, by my count. As morning wore on the house was nearly full, maybe 70. Event was sponsored by one of the school’s law journals so I expect there will be article(s) in a future issue.
The symposium worked to bring together various local forces that had popped up in the previous several years. NJ.com, a key statewide news platform, published an article by Matt Gray in 2024, about the state’s Special Treatment Unit (STU), that made a splash. A few months later a retired judge who had read the news article penned a scathing essay in which he called the STU a gulag—NJ.com published it as an op-ed. Then another former judge (Bradford Bury) who had presided over STU cases was the subject of a news story by Gray in which Bury said—one-third of those detained indefinitely can be safely released now, maybe another third soon, last third—no. He also discussed a 35 page letter he’d sent to the New Jersey AG’s office with complaints about lawyers from the AG’s office who had appeared in his courtroom.
The Event: There were 21 presenters over the course of the day, many local, others from KS, IL, FL, MN. Personally impacted people were in the audience and two were presenters. The event was important not only for what was said but for giving currents a chance to build and swirl in the room. The last panel featured two ombuds and four lawyers. One could hear and feel their frustration and anger, ingredients that come in make for productive advocacy and organizing. One of the lawyers even brought some transcripts so he could quote from a six day hearing concerning a detainee who was accused of masturbating in a day room. No body cam footage, no day room footage to confirm the charge, still the judge nailed the guy.
Former judge Bradford Bury was there live to give his assessment—one third can be safely released now. As for the assistant attorney generals sent to his court for commitment cases—Bury said he questions their ethics and competency. Eric Janus had a terrific short overview of Sex Offense Civil Commitment (SOCC). He opined that 30 or so years after sexual psychopath laws were enacted they fell into disuse, we may be near that 30-ish year point with SVP laws, citing the number of negative stories about SOCC in the last couple of years. He put forward ideas on framing the public discussion and included a slide of a crowd of Minnesotans in the midst of the surge in ICE enforcement as an example of out-of-control government. Another image was about Trump’s new plans for detention of protesters, etc.
A woman of transgender experience had choice words for the 9 years she lost to the STU. She used ‘warehouse’ as an STU descriptor. Reporter Matt Gray talked about how he did the reporting on that 2024 expose—politicians and others wouldn’t return his phone calls, he was barred from getting inside the STU. Tamara Lave recounted her digging into the late Dr. Padilla’s work, a California researcher whose project about SOCC recidivism was shut down before it could be finished. I learned granular details about the STU—it is run by DOC except for therapy which is Dept. of Health province. I talked about organizing around MSOP in Minnesota, and the importance of the resident council. Good to see Corey Yung – his blog about sex offense registries, etc. was excellent and nothing that good has appeared since. One odd thing – the terminology used by presenters veered between absolutely humane to ‘sex offender’ every other sentence. Given the destruction wrought by labelling, we’ve got to model better language. Good pieces from survivor perspectives – about wanting their voices heard, do not assume those harmed all want the responsible parties “locked them up and throw away the key.”
Symposium organizer Prof. Laura Cohen gets huge credit for pulling this event together quickly and superbly. She wants to see follow-up, possible formation of a group.
Lessons for KS? There may be some elements and presenters that would work for your state. IMHO, this is a state level issue. Courts and lawmakers are really hard to move. Sustained, smart organizing can make a difference, particularly if locals involved in other reform/abolition work are involved.
Hope this helps,
Bill
https://mz6577.wixsite.com/no-exit
From:
Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2026 9:49 AM
To: 'William Dobbs' <duc...@mindspring.com>
Subject: Rutgers symposium
Bill
Do you have a summary of highlights from the symposium or is there a link to access a recording?
Rick Cagan
