Opinion ID: 1058936
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Clear and Convincing Evidentiary Standard

Text: The Supreme Court of the United States clearly stated that the clear and convincing evidentiary standard is the minimum standard that may be used in a civil commitment proceeding. Addington, 441 U.S. at 432-33, 99 S.Ct. 1804. An individual's interest in the outcome of a civil commitment proceeding is of such weight and gravity that due process requires the state to justify confinement by proof more substantial than a mere preponderance of the evidence. Id. at 427, 99 S.Ct. 1804. The beyond a reasonable doubt standard is inappropriate in civil commitment proceedings because, given the uncertainties of psychiatric diagnosis, it may impose a burden the state cannot meet and thereby erect an unreasonable barrier to needed medical treatment. Id. at 432, 99 S.Ct. 1804. Thus, the clear and convincing standard strikes a fair balance between the rights of the individual and the legitimate concerns of the state. Id. at 431, 99 S.Ct. 1804. Whether to adopt a standard greater than clear and convincing is a matter of state law, id. at 433, 99 S.Ct. 1804 for [t]he essence of federalism is that states must be free to develop a variety of solutions to problems and not be forced into a common, uniform mold. Id. at 431, 99 S.Ct. 1804. We recognize that some other jurisdictions have adopted the beyond a reasonable doubt standard for their sexually violent civil commitment statutes. See, e.g., Ariz.Rev.Stat. 36-3707(A) (2004); Cal. Welf. & Inst.Code § 6604 (2005); 725 Ill. Comp. Stat. 205/3.01 (2005). However, for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the General Assembly adopted the clear and convincing evidentiary standard. Code § 37.1-70.9(C). It is settled that this standard meets the demands of due process and that the decision to adopt this standard has been left to the states. See Addington, 441 U.S. at 432-33, 99 S.Ct. 1804. We hold that the use of the clear and convincing evidentiary standard for purposes of the SVPA satisfies constitutional requirements of due process.