Senate Democrats Reject Crucial Amendment to Protect Communities from Sexually Violent Predators

Amendment Would Prohibit Release of Free-Roaming SVPs as Transients

On the Senate floor today, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego), presented an amendment aimed at stopping the dangerous practice of releasing sexually violent predators (SVPs) into communities on transient status. 

"It’s bad enough that sexually violent predators are being dumped in our communities. Given their diagnoses, why would we allow these dangerous individuals to be released on transient status?,” Leader Jones stated. “It's a fifty percent failure rate, and that's simply unacceptable.”

The proposed amendment is a direct response to the alarming statistics surrounding the state's SVP-Conditional Release Program (CONREP), which began in 1996. According to data from state contractor Liberty Healthcare, a staggering fifty percent of SVPs released on transient status have been revoked or rehospitalized due to "serious violations." Recently, Liberty Healthcare proposed to dump an SVP in a brand-new RV with transient status in Placer County. Transient placements could become more common as the state faces a dire housing shortage.

The proposed amendment would have prohibited the release of SVPs into communities on transient status. Instead, it proposed placing SVPs on state property and subjecting them to supervision by state personnel, ensuring their actions are closely monitored to protect the public.

"Our proposal today is a logical solution to safeguard our communities from the dangers of free-roaming sexually violent predators,” said Leader Jones. “It’s disappointing to see Senate Democrats quickly shoot it down without any consideration for communities’ safety.”

Click here to view the vote and here to view or download the presentation.