Sex offenders say they were held after being ordered set free

By Travis Andersen Globe Staff, October 17, 2016, 7:44 p.m.

Lawyers for a group of sex offenders filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Correction Monday, alleging that prison officials unlawfully detained their clients after they were ordered to be released from custody.

The civil complaint was filed in US District Court in Boston on behalf of dozens of convicted sexual offenders, according to court records and a statement from the plaintiffs’ law firm, Tumposky & Associates, P.C.

The suit involves the state’s civil commitment process, when offenders deemed “sexually dangerous” are held indefinitely at the Massachusetts Treatment Center, a Bridgewater facility run by the DOC, after they complete their prison terms.