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Report: Most Mass. Sex Convicts Are Not Released

Even though a convicted sex offender charged with raping an Arlington woman at knifepoint had been deemed by a jury as no longer a threat to the public, state statistics show that most sex offenders are civilly committed even after finishing their criminal sentences.

The Boston Globe reports that between 2010 and 2012, juries and judges sent 57 of the 83 convicts who sought release back to civil detention for treatment, even though their sentences were up, according to the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.

Essie Billingslea is charged with breaking into the woman's home Sunday and sexually assaulting her. Last year, a Suffolk County jury decided 12-2 that Billingslea no longer posed a threat to the public.

Billingslea has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.

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