Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Fallbrook, introduced legislation Friday intended to prevent the placement of sexually violent predators in residential communities.
At a press conference in Poway on Friday, Issa introduced The Stopping Sexually Violent Predators Act, which would end federal funding for SVPs outside correctional or medical facilities and require states to report all SVPs to the federal Department of Justice for review of potential federal charges.
"In California, Governor Newsom has made our communities less safe by essentially compelling communities to accept the relocation of dozens of these violent predators into our neighborhoods," Issa said. "But this issue is not unique to California, which is why we need a federal solution to at least prevent the compulsory placement of SVPs and develop a solution. There is obviously a better way than the current broken system."
SVPs are clinically diagnosed individuals convicted of sexually violent crimes. They are designated by doctors as incurable and are neither undergoing treatment nor in recovery.
In the 2002 case People v. Superior Court of Marin County, a judge ruled that "a sexually violent predator may be committed, or recommitted if due to a diagnosed mental disorder there is a substantial danger — that is, a serious and well founded risk that the individual is likely to engage in acts of sexual violence without the appropriate treatment and custody," according to the California Department of State Hospitals.
According to a statement from Issa's office, 70% of SVPs released into communities in California were returned to custody for violating their release terms.
Issa represents California's 48th Congressional District, encompassing central and eastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, Poway, Temecula, Murrieta and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line.
