n Simon Salinas
Changes in placing sexual predators
I am pleased to announce the passage of AB 493, which will establish an equitable and reliable placement system for Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) releases.
In 2003, with less than a week’s notice, the Department of Mental Health placed an SVP in the City of Soledad, in Monterey County. Since that time, two other SVPs have been released within the state. All three releases resulted in heavy public protests and inconsistent judicial intervention. It was evident that the process for placing SVPs upon release was clearly flawed.
Under previous law, SVPs were released and relocated to counties without any specific guidelines. With the passage of AB 493, the state is required to place the SVP in the county of last residence. Consequently, this will prevent any single community from having to house a disproportionate share of SVPs and will prevent the kind of last minute, chaotic placements that have previously occurred.
Avoiding last minute placement will provide a number of benefits to local officials. Community anticipation for an SVP will permit local officials to offer suggestions about the most appropriate placements within their community and will give local officials ample time to prepare the community for the placement. Local officials now will have an incentive to work with the State Department of Mental Health instead of working against each other.
I would like to thank all of the constituents from the 28th Assembly District for their input on this important state matter. Together we have taken a giant step forward in setting a clear and fair standard for
SVP placements.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact my District Office at 831-759-8676.
Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, represents the 28th Assembly District, which includes San Benito County,
