§62-11E-1 Legislative findings and intent. - West Virginia Statutes

§62-11E-1. Legislative findings and intent.
The Legislature finds:

(1) That a small but extremely dangerous group of sexually violent offenders exist who do not have a mental disease or defect that renders them appropriate for involuntary hospitalization pursuant to chapter twenty-seven of this code, which is intended to be a short-term civil commitment system that is primarily designed to provide short-term treatment to individuals with serious mental disorders and then return them to the community. In contrast, these offenders, known as sexually violent predators, generally have personality disorders and/or mental abnormalities which are largely unamenable to existing mental illness treatment modalities and those conditions render them likely to engage in sexually violent behavior.

(2) That the likelihood of sexually violent predators engaging in repeat acts of predatory sexual violence is high. The existing involuntary commitment procedure is inadequate to address the risk to re-offend because during confinement these predators do not have access to potential victims and therefore they will not engage in an overt act during confinement as required by the involuntary treatment act for continued confinement.

(3) That the prognosis for curing sexually violent predators is poor, the treatment needs of this population are very long term, and the treatment modalities for this population are very different from the traditional treatment modalities for people appropriate for commitment under chapter twenty-seven of this code.

(4) It is therefore the purpose of this article to establish a public-private task force to identify and develop measures providing for the appropriate treatment of sexually violent predators lasting until they are no longer dangerous to the public. The measures should reflect the need to protect the public, to respect the needs of the victims of sexually violent offenses, and to encourage full, meaningful participation of sexually violent predators in treatment programs.