In re the Detention of Petersen

(dissenting) — The majority consigns Mr. Petersen to indefinite imprisonment without benefit of appeal or right to counsel. It claims the civil nature of his incarceration diminishes his rights below those enjoyed by convicted criminals. It holds the United States Supreme *96Court’s interpretation of a similar statute is “simply wrong.” Majority at 79. It states the legislature’s guarantee of the right to counsel “[a]t all stages of the proceedings” does not mean what it says and that there is no constitutional right to counsel for one potentially deprived of his liberty in a civil proceeding.…