Sex Offender Registration Requirements

The Community Protection Act of 1990 established sex offender registration requirements.  Washington was the 10th state to adopt sex offender registration requirements, and now has some of the strongest sex offender registration and notification laws in the nation.

Washington's sex offender registration laws require offenders convicted of kidnapping and sex offenses to supply their addresses and other identifying information to law enforcement upon their release from jail or prison.

In addition, the Community Protection Act authorizes and requires law enforcement to notify the community when certain sex offenders are about to be released into their neighborhoods.

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SVP Civil Commitment

When the Community Protection Act passed in 1990, Washington was the first state in the nation to implement involuntary civil commitment proceedings for dangerous sexual predators.  Instead of being returned to the community upon their scheduled release from prison, the Community Protection Act authorized a process by which to civilly commit these offenders and transfer them to a Special Commitment Center (SCC), a secure facility located on McNeil Island that provides mandatory treatment for sexual deviancy.

Each year, approximately 800 sex offenders return to the community upon completion of their criminal sentences.  However, as a result of the Community Protection Act, these offenders now undergo a review, prior to their release, to determine whether they should be referred for possible civil commitment as sexually violent predators.

Under Washington law, a sexually violent predator is any person who has been convicted of a crime of sexual violence and who suffers from a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence.

If a judge or jury finds that the offender meets these criteria, the offender is held indefinitely at the SCC on McNeil Island until his or her mental condition improves to the level where safe release into the community is possible.

Since the Community Protection Act was passed in 1990, 364 offenders have been determined to be sexually violent predators and have been held at the SCC.   At the present time, there are approximately 220 sexually violent predators being held at the SCC.