People v. Howard N.

Opinion

BROWN, J.

Welfare and Institutions Code 1 section 1800 et seq. delineates procedures governing the extended detention of dangerous persons. In particular, it provides for the civil commitment of a person at the time he would otherwise be discharged by statute from a Youth Authority commitment. We consider whether this extended detention scheme violates due process because it does not expressly require a finding that the person’s mental deficiency, disorder, or abnormality causes serious difficulty in controlling behavior. 2

We conclude the extended detention scheme should be interpreted…