People v. Johnson
Annotate this CaseJohnson was involuntarily committed to a state mental hospital after a jury found him to be a sexually violent predator (SVP). He appealed and, later, filed two petitions for a writ of habeas corpus. In consolidated actions, the court of appeal affirmed, rejecting Johnson’s arguments that: insufficient evidence supported the jury’s determination that he is an SVP; the jury was improperly instructed on the burden of proof; and the Sexually Violent Predator Act, Welfare and Institutions Code, section 6600, was unconstitutional. Specifically, Johnson argued that the newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association to identify criteria for the classification of mental disorders, does not allude to the psychiatric diagnosis upon which his commitment was based: “paraphilia[,] not otherwise specified, . . . with nonconsenting persons.” The court found that, regardless of the DSM, the record included substantial evidence that paraphilic coercive disorder is a legitimate diagnosis and that Johnson suffers from it.
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