In re Commitment of Stephenson (Wis. 2020)

In re Commitment of Stephenson (Wis. 2020)

Nature of Case: Petitioner was convicted of sex offenses and subsequently indefinitely civilly detained under Wisconsin’s SVP statute. Petitioner subsequently sought release in a proceeding where no expert evidence was presented as to his continued dangerousness, and the court continued to detain him.

Holding: The Wisconsin Supreme Court affirmed the commitment, finding both that expert evidence was not required to continue to find petitioner met the criteria for continued confinement, and that the evidence was sufficient.