Civil commitment for sex crimes is not uncommon in Illinois. Your best strategy is to avoid prison and other sex crime punishments by winning your sex crime case. Work with experienced Illinios sex offense attorneys. Call our Chicago sex crime lawyers today at (312) 466-9466.
People convicted of sex offenses face the risk of civil commitment in addition to prison under two Illinois statutes.
Even after a person has served his or her sentence, he or she may be deprived of their freedom further. Under the Sexually Dangerous Persons Act, 725 ILCS 205, subsection (1), the Director of the Department of Corrections "as guardian shall keep safely the person so committed until the person has recovered" 725 ILCS 205/8. The Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, 725 ILCS 207/40, provides that a person found dangerous under the act can be "committed to the custody of the Department for control, care and treatment until such time as the person is no longer a sexually violent person" Subsection 50 of that Act states that the person shall be held in "a secure facility provided by the Department of Corrections."
In other words, conviction of a sex crime in Illinois can result in your serving an indefinite period of time behind bars that could last a lifetime.
Civil commitment under these acts is an extremely complex process. In addition, criminal defendants are prosecuted, sentenced, and their sentences are served before such procedures are triggered.
Persons charged with serious sex offenses need to focus on winning their criminal case, but must also be aware of this potential additional punishment when making decisions.