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The Prison Journal
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Out of Sight, Out of Mind: An Analysis of Kansas V. Crane and the Fine Line between Civil and Criminal Sanctions

Franklin T. Wilson

Sam Houston State University

The social intolerance surrounding repeat sexual offenders has spawned numerous legal remedies through the years including sexual psychopath laws, Megan’s Law, chemical castration, and sexually violent predator (SVP) legislation. In the past 12 years, several states have implemented what many consider to be the resurrection of the old sexual psychopath laws of the 1930s and 1940s. This newest legal remedy is most often referred to as SVP legislation and allows for the indefinite civil commitment of those offenders who have served their prison sentences but have been determined to be SVPs still. Based on this legislation, this article analyzes the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court case of Kansas v. Crane, the latest in a series of cases that address an issue that many feel runs dangerously close to crossing the fine line between civil commitment and criminal sanctions.

Key Words: civil commitment • Kansas • Hendricks • Crane • Kansas Sexually Violent Predator Act • sexually violent predator

The Prison Journal, Vol. 84, No. 3, 379-394 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0032885504268186
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