Civil Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators: Have We Gone Too Far?

2007:
Abstract:

Arguably, the most feared, despised, and punished offender in society today is the sex offender. The public is constantly bombarded with stories from the media of the heinous crimes and irreparable harm committed by these offenders. We are told that sex offenders cannot be cured, that they reoffend at a higher rate than other offenders, and that they must be punished severely. All of this has lead to a public outrage against sex offenders. This public outrage, in turn, has lead to increased sanctions and punishment directed toward sex offenders. An increasingly popular response to this public outrage is the instituting of statutes requiring the civil commitment of sexually violent offenders. This paper will examine the history and the constitutional issues associated with this practice. Additionally, the unique out-patient civil commitment statute of Texas will be discussed. ..Source.. by Paper presented at the annual meeting of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, Georgia, Nov 14, 2007