5-10-2013 New Hampshire:Passed in 2007, the New Hampshire’s Civil Commitment Law was designed to keep sexually violent predators incarcerated if they are likely to offend because of a mental abnormality. The process, complex and deeply restricted, has not been widely used and carries serious flaws.
Civil Commitment Law
The civil commitment law was designed to keep sexually violent predators from being released after completing treatment, if they are likely to reoffend. County attorneys receive notification when an inmate who has committed an applicable crime nears their release date. If the attorney is concerned that the inmate has not been successfully rehabilitated, a multidisciplinary team of psychologists and psychiatrists who specialize in sexual offenses is brought in to review the case. If the inmate is deemed to be a sexually violent predator by a jury, their sentence can be extended in five-year increments.
However, if a jury decides the inmate is not likely to re-offend, the inmate is released. Unfortunately, the predator law does not include other options such as supervision or alternative sentences that could help with an inmate’s transition back into society.
Predator Law Evidence Limited, Funding Challenging
