They are known as sexually violent predators, or SVP for short. The term is defined in California law as a person who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense and who has a diagnosed mental disorder “that makes the person a danger to the health and safety of others in that it is likely that he or she will engage in sexually violent criminal behavior.”
State officials spend millions of dollars each year contracting with Liberty Healthcare, a Pennsylvania company, to treat and house SVPs. After completing their prison term, SVPs are transferred to a state hospital for an indefinite period of time, where they can voluntarily receive inpatient treatment while petitioning the court for their release.
Sixty men have been released statewide under the Forensic Conditional Release Program, which provides around-the-clock surveillance and other supervision of SVPs who are placed in communities across California.
inewsource found that about one-third of those men have been housed in San Diego — more than any other county in the state — and nearly of them have been assigned to live in communities across the rural backcountry, from Borrego Springs to Campo and, mostly, Jacumba.
Want to know more? Here’s a guide.
Prefer to visualize the process? Take a look at our chart below. It’s better viewed on desktop.
How is a person designated as an SVP?
The state’s SVP Act went into effect in 1996. It’s a civil law, not a criminal law.
The commitment process begins when a person is pending release from prison or jail for a sexually violent offense. They are referred by Corrections for screening.
The Department of State Hospitals then evaluates whether the person meets the definition of an SVP and if so, asks prosecutors from the county where the person was convicted to file a petition with the court to determine if the person should be committed. Participation in treatment is voluntary.
If designated as an SVP
They are civilly committed to a state hospital for an indefinite amount of time.
If not designated as an SVP
They are released after serving the original sentence.
Why is an SVP near me?
A judge determines whether a patient is eligible for conditional release and where the patient will live. There are strict restrictions governing the placements that prohibit housing inmates near schools, day care centers, parks, churches and other places make rural areas more likely to have the space to put SVPs.
Once the court has determined that the patient meets the legal criteria to participate in CONREP, CONREP then must locate a residence for the patient in their “county of domicile” — typically the same county that handled the SVP’s commitment proceeding.
Placements to other counties are rare and only occur in extraordinary circumstances.
Officials seek input from designated county agencies and then submit potential residences to the court for approval. The state is required to provide official notice to the community. The housing search and placement process can take up to one year or longer.
How does the state supervise SVPs?
The state has the SVP Forensic Conditional Release Program, or SVP CONREP: The participants are under a step-down program that starts with being committed to a state hospital for an indefinite period.
They can petition the court annually to be unconditionally released, or they can petition that they participate in a conditional-release program. The state can also recommend an SVP for conditional release.
If court says no
The SVP remains in a state hospital.
If court says yes
If the court grants unconditional release, the person is released and subject only to the same requirements that all sex offenders must follow.
If the court approves conditional release, the person enters the program through a state contractor and remains until a court orders either their return to a state hospital or unconditional release.
A court-approved plan outlines the conditions of outpatient treatment and supervision the person must adhere to while in the community. “They are extensive, detailed, and describe the intensive monitoring and supervision that SVP CONREP will provide.”
The program uses tools such as regular visits, scheduled and unannounced; covert surveillance; 24-hour GPS monitoring; electronics monitoring; drug screens; and more.
About 5% of patients who are committed to the Department of State Hospitals under the SVP Act achieve conditional release.
What does it cost?
The state contracts with Liberty Healthcare, a Pennsylvania company, to provide SVP CONREP services. While officials have tried to attract other bidders, only Liberty has responded.
As of 2025, Liberty has been paid some $93 million to run the SVP CONREP program under a series of contracts and extensions. The costs have escalated: Liberty was paid $6.6 million in 2018-19, but had reached $11.5 million by 2022-23.
Last year DSH said the average yearly cost per person for treatment and supervision in CONREP was $456,032.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
