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Civil Commitment of Sexual Predators

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Sexual Violence

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Abstract

Responding to concerns surrounding the release of sex offenders into the community, many states have implemented laws allowing for the civil commitment of sex offenders deemed to pose a high risk of re-offense. Currently, twenty states, as well as the District of Columbia and Federal government, have statutes allowing for civil commitment. Beyond encountering significant operational and fiscal challenges, sex offender civil commitment (SOCC) programs have faced numerous legal challenges centered on the constitutionality of these statutes in regards to commitment, treatment, and release. This chapter examines the history and development of civil commitment policies in the United States, and offers a detailed discussion of the operational context and characteristics of SOCC programs. The chapter also features analyses of the legal and constitutional issues surrounding SOCC, the use of SOCC in countries other than the U.S., the empirical evidence surrounding the effectiveness of SOCC, and a detailed discussion of the cost associated with SOCC, focusing on state expenditures on SOCC programs and the fiscal viability of managing ever increasing commitment populations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The 4600 figure is based on 17 respondents reporting commitments in the SOCCPN Annual report for 2014. This figure does not include counts from Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas.

  2. 2.

    For a review of these commitment trends, see Harris (2005).

  3. 3.

    Fardon v. Attorney-General for the State of Queensland, HCA 46 at 44, 2004.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, USA

    Michelle A. Cubellis

  2. University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, USA

    Andrew J. Harris

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  1. Michelle A. Cubellis
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  2. Andrew J. Harris
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Correspondence to Michelle A. Cubellis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, New York, USA

    Elizabeth L. Jeglic

  2. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, USA

    Cynthia Calkins

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Cubellis, M.A., Harris, A.J. (2016). Civil Commitment of Sexual Predators. In: Jeglic, E., Calkins, C. (eds) Sexual Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44504-5_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44504-5_5

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