Psychologist at Minnesota sex offender program charged with sexually assaulting two clients
A psychologist who worked for more than six years at a state-operated treatment center for sex offenders in northern Minnesota has been charged with sexually assaulting two men while they were in custody at the facility.
The psychologist, Michelle D. Brownfield, 38, of Duluth, was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the men, who were undergoing treatment for sexual offenses. A warrant covering Minnesota and its border states has been issued for her arrest.
The assaults occurred between 2016 and early 2018 on the campus of the state’s secure treatment facility in Moose Lake, including in rooms where clients undergo psychological assessments and polygraph tests, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Carlton County District Court.
As a famous comedian once said “You just can’t make this stuff up!”
When the person in charge of treatment is no better or maybe worse than the person they are supposed to be treating.
I have yet to see or hear about one single “sex offender treatment program” that has the first to do with mental health. The court-ordered substance abuse – ahem, sex offender programs are just additional supervision, and civil commitment is just a substitute for prison.
FYI, unless you pay to Star Tribune, you can’t read the story.
But here we go again with stories like this and yet the only people anyone is worried about are those with prior records and registration.
I was able to read it by clicking the subdued X in the upper left of the little green box to clear it from the screen and any others that popped up in the way to reading it.
Here’s one trick you can try if you’re a Chrome user on a laptop or desktop (can’t figure out how to do it on the phone). On the top of the screen where you see the web address, there’s a little icon (right now as I’m on the FAC site obviously, to th left of the site address I see a lock icon). Click that icon, and you see “Connection is secure” and a list of options. Click on to “site settings” next to the gear shaped icon, and you get a new page pop up. On that page under “permissions” go to where it says “Javascript” and click to the right of that where it says “Allow (Default”) and set it to “block.”
Most paywalls and popup crap that litter most websites can be circumvented this way. It isn’t perfect but it is one way to get around these issues.
There are other outlets that are reporting on the story. Perhaps FAC will post one of those instead.
No matter who we are or the positions of authority one might claim, we are all humans and subject to failures in judgment. It is important that we establish ourselves in the knowledge of right and wrong and know how and when to avoid situations that can lead to wrong. I believe that the vast majority of registered citizens failed during a time of depression or loneliness. I would love to know the true backgrounds and actions of many of our ‘do-gooder’ politicians and LEO’s. Even PO’s can fall into the trap. It happened here in Brevard a few years ago. Being human ain’t easy.
Apparently this was the only sexual behavior permitted to these inmates.
Unfortunately I don’t subscribe to the Star-Tribune. I can’t get past its paywall, and local TV coverage is more superficial.
For those who get the paywall issue, here’s Google’s cached version:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:QKQnrJ4yNBcJ:https://www.startribune.com/psychologist-at-minnesota-sex-offender-program-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-two-clients/600049133/+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
If this URL doesn’t work for you, do a Google search of the article title (copy and paste from the site). Then, you should see three small, vertial dots to the right of the result(s). Click on those dots and a page should pop up allowing you to view the cached version. This works fairly often for paywalled sites, though not always. (I so love how Google continues to steal pay-walled material. They should be banned from Google for that!)
This is all so messed up…. what a waste. So sad on so many levels. No telling what the men endured and how she used her power and influence to manipulate them.
🤣🤣🤣 Sorry, I can’t stop laughing – this is so outrageously, bizarrely hilarious! 🤣🤣🤣
“An agency spokesman added that DHS’ licensing division conducts background studies on all new employees who provide direct services, and supervisors in state-operated facilities are required to verify credentials of all staff.” Well, if society would believe the many statistical studies done over the last few decades, they would know that 95+% of new sex crimes are NOT committed by persons previously convicted of a sex crime nor with a previous felony.
People love to fall back on the “bAcKgRoUnD cHeCks” excuse. As if people are born with criminal records. When is someone going to say this? The next time someone says “We do extensive background checks” just stop them and ask them if they’ve ever heard the saying “There’s a first for everything”
Maestro
Background checks only work IF you have ever been caught. Before I was arrested I worked in law enforcement. Speaking of that, Lie detector test are crap as well.
The first time I took one I failed and they said I lied on the question about drug use. The only question they asked me drug related was cocaine. I had only ever seen cocaine in photos during the police academy. How was I a druggie?
The second department I applied at, I purposely lied on every question(At that point I was frustrated) and passed the test with flying colors. Go figure, it was a department I didn’t even want to work at. So I told the truth and failed but later lied and passed? Just glad I was no longer workin as a L.E.O when I got arrested. That would have been all over the news.
@ CherokeeJack:
There’s no such thing as a “lie detector test.” A polygraph is just an interrogation – nothing more, nothing less. “Results” are nothing but the opinion of the administrator and predetermined more often than not.
The point is to call out the idiocy of telling news media they do background checks as if that’s supposed to be something no other hiring company does. Everyone does background checks. It’s not a new fad. It’s also not guaranteed that a person with a clean background won’t commit a crime some day.
Interesting is that she’s dangerous enough to issue a warrant to all LE in Minnesota and neighboring states, yet no one thought to include her picture.
So, I’m pretty sure that both men will get more time for engaging in sex with a staff member. I doubt the woman will get much more than expelled from working inside that treatment center/prison. It doesn’t excuse her behavior, but do you really believe that both men didn’t WANT to have sex with this woman? Let’s remember that this most likely isn’t the entire story, but hey, it does make for a good headline! These internment camps that are disguised as treatment programs have a major problem with their staffing outsourced from the private industry – you cannot treat inmates the same as you would a client on the outside. Prison staff need to be hired to do a specific job and promoted from within when they do it well, or expelled. Bringing in ‘green horns’ that don’t understand the culture inside a jail end up doing stupid things, just like this woman did. Privitization of prisons should never have been allowed to happen!
Umm, the victims are going to be punished? Can’t be.
I don’t know. Her defense might be that she was assaulted by them, and that they threatened her life to provide favorable reports as well as sex. They’re registrants in civil commitment after all – what more proof do you need?
/sarc
Dustin
You are so correct. When I was locked up, I intervene in a guy who was getting an ass beating for no apparent reason. They sent the offenders to their cells, the victim to the infermary and me to lock up. The victim was knocked out cold so he couldn’t stand up for me. The other three dudes all lied and said I started it.
I got 90 days gain time taken away for trying to help someone. The old saying “No good deed goes unpunished”. I even offered to take a polygraph but of course their minds were set on me getting more time. (We all know why, the charges I was in for)
Sadly, after that I did not learn my lesson because I have always been fixer. Saving baby racoons from traffic, Picking up trash in the road in my neighborhood, moving a basket from around someone’s car in a parking lot. Yeah I have MAJOR OCD.
I happen to know something about this individual as my son lives in MSOP. She is from Florida. This is not a private prison, it is a state run treatment facility, which looks like and is run like a prison. Also these men are not inmates. They have already been to prison and served their time. If you think these men wanted to have sex with the psychologist, you’re wrong. These men are in a very vulnerable position, as the psychologist has control as to weather a person can move towards release. These clients are in a damned if you do, and damned if you don’t position. This is not treatment! This woman stated that she felt like a kid in a candy store! I highly doubt these men will get extra time, however she is being charged with 2 third degree sexual assault crimes. Next time you post something, do your research. Thank-you
I guess if you wanna be around the clowns, you join the circus. Right?
This fits the narrative of those in positions of trust fit the stats of perps who offend and not those on the registry.
Given she crossed the patient/client line, her license could be revoked which could go national with any professional entities and limit any possible other jobs similar to this when her license is known to be revoked.
Background checks are actually quite a misnomer. They are ‘negative ground’ checks. A ‘background’ consist of more than failures in life. My failure is a miniscule part of my background. My background was good enough to get me numerous responsible positions in the military and a top secret security clearance. A background cannot predict a future.
Background check???
There’s a Michelle D. Brownfield arrested in Ft. Myers on 1/24/04 with a DOB of 6/15/82 which would make her 38. Coincidence?
An arrest record shouldn’t disqualify her. Sleeping with clients, on the other hand, is grounds for license revocation. And worse, where she had power over them.
There is nothing new under the sun. Human behavior will eventually lead to these types of situations. We should be no more shocked by this than the behavior that landed these men in there to begin with. If we stop reacting in shock and ignorance to the human condition and get about the business of better understanding how and why sexual assaults happen, we just may reduce its prevalence in society.
There is an answer to the human condition, and it is through a life-transforming relationship with God through Christ Jesus.
James
I have been saved since I was 11 years old. Someone asked me once how I could be a Christian if I did the things I was accused of. I direct them to the the men who Literally walked beside Jesus, His disciples. One doubted Him. One sold His wearabouts for a few silver coins. One denied know Him out of fear.
My point is, Christians are not perfect. We do the best we can and give the rest to Him. There has only ever been ONE that was, who is and will always be perfect.
Cherokeejack, you are oh so correct. Becoming a Christian does not insure we will never commit sin, but it does help us know when we have, ask for honest forgiveness, and strive to never again commit that sin. As humans we are constantly under attack by Satan who prides himself in destroying Christians. I was saved early in life but I disappointed God many times since. I am not proud of my failures but they have taught me valuable lessons and my values are now aimed at pleasing Jesus since He has done so much for me, my family, and my Christian brothers and sisters. I am not pleasing to myself when I sin and I feel the pain of doing so. I will never regret giving my life to Christ and letting Him convict and discipline me when I need it.
Capt
Amen Brother, Amen!
Matthew 18: 21-22 states
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.
Mary:
Do you know if this is the same Michelle D. Brownfield that was arrested in Florida in 2004?