Of the roughly 800 inmates who were evaluated under the so-called sexually violent predator initiative, 127 were involuntarily admitted to psychiatric hospitals.
Under the so-called sexually violent predator initiative, state psychiatrists reviewed the cases of inmates as they ended their sentences to determine whether they should be confined in psychiatric hospitals.
Mr. Pataki, a Republican who was governor for three terms, testified during the trial that he asked his staff in 2005 to put the sexually violent predator initiative into effect after he had failed repeatedly over the years to win legislative approval for such a policy.
The defense Mr. Pataki wanted to put forth, Mr. Lowell said, was that when he had his staff develop the so-called sexually violent predator initiative in 2005, he relied on the advice of his counsel and other senior staff members that the policy would "withstand constitutional muster," as Mr. Pataki put it in a February 2010 deposition.
How will the "countering violent extremism" initiative differentiate between legitimate criticism of, or resistance to, foreign policy?
"I think it's easy to be cynical and critical of CVE initiatives, especially if we view success and impact through a very narrow lens," he added, referring to the countering violent extremism initiative.
And CPJ, along with other human rights groups, is concerned that the countering violent extremism initiative could provide justification for governments to broaden surveillance online and use it to curb human rights and civil liberties.
The killing of Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, "really underscores how dangerous it is for the US government, including the White House, to focus its countering violent extremism initiatives primarily on American Muslims", said Farhana Khera, the executive director of civil rights law firm Muslim Advocates.
Likewise, countering violent extremism initiatives have met with rising opposition in the United States.
The federal government has provided special funding to support these efforts through the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative, the Prisoner Reentry Initiative, and, most recently, the Second Chance Act of 2008.
