Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) commitment costs: How much is too much?

• In Event: Advances in Sex Offender Policy Research: Policy Implementation and Impacts

Abstract

With continued budgetary concerns, may states have called into question the efficiency of state-funded interventions. One scrutinized practice currently in operation across 20 states is Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) commitment, the indefinite post-incarceration detainment of sex offenders deemed to suffer a mental abnormality that increases their risk of committing another offense. For a variety of reasons, SVP commitment costs significantly more than traditional incarceration or community-based sex offender treatment. Properly conducted cost-benefit analyses of SVP commitment can offer important insight into its long-term viability toward decreasing sexual violence. This paper compares known costs and benefits of SVP commitment to those of alternative interventions, compares SVP commitment practices carrying economic implications across different states, and identifies challenges in conducting cost-benefit analysis of SVP commitment. Finally, preliminary data from an ongoing cost-benefit analysis of SVP commitment will be summarized.

Authors

• Anthony Perillo, John Jay College of Criminal Justice / CUNY Graduate Center

• Elizabeth Jeglic, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Cynthia Calkins, John Jay College of Criminal Justice