Sexual Predator Laws: Clarifying the Relationship between Mental Health Laws and Due Process Protections

I. Introduction II. The Justification for SVP Legislation ... A. Police Power and Parens Patriae ... B. The Constitutionality of Civil Confinement III. A Lack of Measurable Standards Make SVP Statutes Unworkable ... A. The Court’s Vague Mental Illness Standard ... B. The Danger of Predicting Dangerousness IV. Clarifying the Nature of SVP Statutes ... A. Maintaining Sex Offender Culpability ... B. The Exclusion of Juveniles from SVP Commitment V. The Utilization of Mental Health Laws for Preventive Incarceration VI. Strict Mandatory Minimums and Recidivist Laws as Alternatives to SVP Commitment VII. Conclusion