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

Authors

Maureen F. Larsen, University of Nebraska College of Law
Robert F. Schopp, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and University of Nebraska College of LawFollow

Abstract

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

Recommended Citation

Maureen F. Larsen and Robert F. Schopp, Sexual Predator Laws: Clarifying the Relationship between Mental Health Laws and Due Process Protections, 97 Neb. L. Rev. 1167 (2018)
Available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nlr/vol97/iss4/6