In recent years, Texas has taken several steps to tone down its image as a state in which lawmen pursue bad guys by any means necessary, caring more about their reputation for being tough on crime than they do about justice. A notable example of a move toward a justice system focused on rehabilitation of offenders rather than simply punishment is the pre-trial diversion program offered to first-time DWI offenders who have no other criminal charges. One could argue that the same impetus toward rehabilitation underlies the current sex offender treatment program in Texas, but upon closer inspection, the reality looks quite different. Even after recent efforts at reform, the fate of people released from prison after serving sentences for sex-related crimes often looks a lot like just another form of imprisonment.
Just Another Form of Institutionalization?
The state of Texas hesitates to release people back into the community when they have a history of committing sexual assault or other sex-related crimes. Safeguards such as the sex offender registry aim to preserve the constitutional right of the offenders to avoid cruel and unusual punishment (in other words, their right to be released from prison after completing a sentence proportionate to their crime) while also assuaging the fears of people in the community who want to know whether any of their neighbors have a history of sex-related offenses. Until recently, many sex offenders who had finished their prison terms but were considered likely to re-offend were sent to halfway houses. These halfway houses were poorly regulated and highly ineffective at preventing repeat offenses.
Today, the Texas Civil Commitment Center aims to offer more comprehensive treatment to enable people with sex-related criminal convictions to regain their freedom and be at lower risk of committing another sex-related crime. Residents must attend six group therapy sessions per week and one individual counseling session per month. Within the center, there are four stages of treatment, with the residents earning more privileges as they complete each stage. At the third stage, for example, they can own “dumb” cell phones and have paid jobs. After completing the fourth stage, they can move back to the counties where they lived at the time of their arrests. At that point, they are monitored similarly to sex offenders who did not undergo civil commitment.
Of course, the Texas Civil Commitment Center building is a former prison, and it feels like one. Residents are still institutionalized. It is a similar principle to the fact that not guilty by reason of insanity does not mean freed. Critics of the center call for further reforms to the way that Texas approaches the rehabilitation of sex offenders.
Contact Madrid Law About Sex-Related Crimes
A good criminal defense lawyer can be as effective at keeping you out of civil commitment as keeping you out of prison. Contact Madrid Law in Houston if you have been charged with a crime that, if you are convicted, would label you as a sex offender.
Fill out the contact form below to get in touch with Mario Madrid, Criminal Defense Attorney at Madrid Law:
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