The Special Commitment Center (SCC) in the US state of Washington is a post-prison-sentence treatment institution for people designated as sexually violent predators, located on McNeil Island.
[citation needed] Washington State's 1990 Community Protection Act was meant to address limitations in involuntary-commitment law and institutions by allowing indefinite, involuntary civil commitment of violent sexual offenders who meet specified criteria.
[1] The previous system managed only short-term treatment of persons with serious mental disorders—with the intent of quickly returning them to the community.
[3] "Mental abnormalities" and "personality disorders" typically refer to DSM-IV diagnoses, which are established through structured interviews with the subject.
[5] In late 2001, a temporary Secure Community Transition Facility (SCTF) was established in order to comply with legislation that allowed court-ordered conditional releases.
[6] In 2001, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the rights of two residents were violated because during their commitment proceedings they were not allowed to present evidence that a less restrictive treatment alternative would have been more effective than total confinement.
A lawsuit has been filed by one of the inmates contesting that—because the Special Commitment Center is a civil treatment program and not a prison—residents should be guaranteed minimum wage under federal law.
If the committee finds that a person meets the legal definition of "sexually violent predator," they refer their case to the Special Commitment Center.