State Civil Commitment Center:
Torrance State Hospital (Southwest Secure Treatment Unit) Sexual Responsibility & Treatment Program (SRTP)
121 Longview Drive
Torrance, PA 15779
(724) 459-4511
Commitment Laws:
Chapter 64.
Court-ordered Involuntary Treatment of
Certain Sexually Violent Persons
§ 6403. Court-ordered involuntary treatment. § 6404. Duration of inpatient commitment and review. § 6404.1. Transfer to involuntary outpatient treatment. § 6404.2. Duration of outpatient commitment and review. § 6406. Duty of Department of Public Welfare. § 6409. Immunity for good faith conduct.
Sexual Responsibility and Treatment Program (SRTP)
On August 14, 2003, Act 21 was enacted into law. The Act mandates that Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare provide mental health and sex-offense specific treatment for an identified population that had been adjudicated of certain sex-related crimes.
While these individuals remain in juvenile treatment programs, they may still pose a significant risk to sexually re-offend after reaching the age of 21, an age when the oversight of the juvenile justice system ends. Act 21 mandates that a person who is committed to an adolescent treatment facility for sex crimes who may still be at risk to re-offend and is about to reach the age of 20, be identified ninety days prior to their birth date. Upon identification, Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offenders Assessment Board (SOAB) is required to conduct an evaluation to determine if a person has "serious difficulty in controlling sexually violent behavior". The SOAB will also determine if the person meets the criteria for "dangerousness" as defined by Act 21. If so, a petition for a mental health hearing is performed affording the individual due process. If it is determined by the court that a civil commitment is warranted, the now 20- year old will be committed to the Sexual Responsibility and Treatment Program (SRTP). A yearly commitment review occurs for each resident at which time a decision is made to continue treatment or begin community re-integration.
The SRTP provides a safe and secure treatment environment that employs cognitive-behavioral and sex-offense specific interventions. In conjunction with other concurrent mental health therapies, treatment is individualized and designed to assist in the development of the necessary skills and coping strategies needed to manage and control deviant thinking and behavior while minimizing their risk of recidivism. The SRTP also remains current on emerging literature, research, and evidenced based practices and, as a result, modifies its approach for treating sex offending and concurrent mental health issues.
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