Source: Placer County DA on Instagram 9/16/24
Today, the Placer County Superior Court held a check-in for the release of state-designated Sexually Violent Predator William Stephenson. The District Attorney’s Office’s assigned prosecutor was present at the hearing alongside county counsel and joined by county representatives, and community members to monitor the update given to the court.
William Stephenson appeared virtually with the Department of State Hospitals and their contractor, Liberty Healthcare.
DSH reported they are currently assessing an undisclosed location in Placer County. They reported once the state does their site assessment, they will schedule a housing meeting.
The court considered an extraordinary circumstance motion filed by the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, including Placer County and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. This motion would authorize the Department of State Hospitals to look both in Placer and Sacramento County. Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office was present and objected to expanding the search to Sacramento.
Placer County District Attorney’s Office argued they have engaged in an exhaustive search, with multiple locations falling through. The defense also argued in favor of expanding the placement search, stating that Stephenson has family in Sacramento County.
Mr. Stephenson testified that he was born and raised in Sacramento County, moved to Placer County, and then moved back to Orangevale in Sacramento County after college. He was incarcerated in Sacramento County and was on probation in Sacramento County. He lived in Placer County briefly, before being arrested for offenses in El Dorado County, which formed the basis of his SVP status. Following his prison sentence, he was committed to the Department of State Hospitals.
After considerable review, the judge granted the extraordinary circumstance motion. While this motion would allow an expanded placement search, it is not guaranteed Stephenson will be placed out of county, and DSH was ordered to search in both counties for a suitable placement.
The next review hearing is set for 11 a.m. on Dec. 16 in Department 32 in Roseville. DSH may call a housing committee before the next hearing date.
I don’t live in a state that has an SVP designation, and I’ve wondered what is required to apply that label, and who makes the decision. Is it strictly based on the crime of conviction in California? Is it up to the Department of Corrections (God help us), or is it a judicial designation? I thought that being a registrant was debilitating enough. It seems that an SVP label makes a person completely a throwaway human. Registration in general and the SVP designation in particular should not be applied without well-considered individualized evaluations.
This guys been in the system for along time now and they still don’t know what to do with him.
looks like the government is trying to hold him till he so old he won’t be able to even take care of himself.
Before the California tier system every person forced to register was labeled a (SVP). After 2006 life on the registry became Hell law enforcement agencies were rounding everybody up who didn’t have a stable address and sending them to prison.
They haven’t calm down either, they just got new technology that makes it easier to track people’s movements so we don’t see them as much BUT there out there watching us or should I say investigating us.
Since the Kiely Rodni incident, I hear the “tonk tonk” from Law and Order:SVU every time I read the words “Placer County.” I’m still 99% certain that show drives the hiring and training in that sheriff’s department.
Shadow Prison system? Could the State involvement with this fuss, be part of a plan to justify the Shadow Prison system? Justify and possibly expand it so “these situations can be avoided”? Even if it is not part of a plan, it still can/will be used this way?
This situation, I suspect, is part of reason the Shadow Prison system exists. The system is massively expensive, and no way just locking people up forever provides enough value to justify the expense all by itself. So, avoiding these kinds of situations is part of the justification for the expense?
The shadow prison system allows the State to demonize to unlimited levels, then avoid having to force people to accept the “monsters” living in their communities? They can demonize whomever they wish, however they wish, then banish them to Shadow Prison? Get all the advantages of the demonization, and avoid the fallout from that by banishing?