Sexual Predator Determinations

Public revulsion at luridly violent accounts of sexual recidivism spurred the recent passage sexually violent predator commitment (SVP) statutes. In response to a public outcry, Washington passed the first SVP statute of the modern era following the rape, castration, and strangulation of a 7-year-old boy. These acts were committed by a notorious sex offender recently discharged fromprison after serving the maximum term authorized for the crime for which he had been convicted (Lieb, 2003). Unlike earlier laws for the commitment of sexual psychopaths that emphasized treatment (Janus, 2000), this recent batch of SVP statutes was primarily intended to ensure community safety through incapacitation. As examined in Legal Standards section, legislators resorted to specialized civil procedures to extend the periods of confinement for convicted sex offenders who had fully served their meted punishment.