Is civil commitment an appropriate option for juvenile sex offenders?

M6D1: Indefinite Civil Commitment

This activity addresses module outcome 1. Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to:

• MO1: Compare and contrast behavioral health and criminal law perspectives on indefinite civil commitment as a response to sexual offending. (CO3)

The U.S. Supreme Court has found the indefinite civil commitment of some sexual offenders to be constitutional. To date, twenty states have enacted legislation authorizing post-release confinements. However, the impact on offenders and society is not clear.

View the following:

• Websites:

o Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.atsa.com/association-treatment-sexual-abusers

o Center for Sex Offender Management. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.csom.org

• Video:

o Due Process TV. (2012, Jul 12).

Due process-sexual predators: Civil commitment (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. [Video file]. [26 min 50 sec]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiXJtYiy-1A

Respond to the following questions:

1. What are the primary arguments for and against indefinite civil commitment of sex offenders?

2. Is civil commitment an appropriate option for juvenile sex offenders? Explain.

During this module you will:

Read:

• Required

o Erickson, P. E., & Erickson, S. K. (2008). Crime, punishment, and mental illness: Law and the behavioral sciences in conflict. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

♣ Chapter 5: The “Mad” or “Bad” Debate Concerning Sex Offenders.

o Module notes

o Articles

♣ Socia, K. M. (2012, July). The efficacy of county-level sex offender residence restrictions in New York, Crime and Delinquency, 58(4), 612-642. doi: 10.1177/0011128712441694. EBSCO Permalink http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ972247&site=eds-live&scope=site