2017 Arizona Revised Statutes
Title 36 - Public Health and Safety
§ 36-3707 Determining sexually violent person status; commitment procedures

36-3707. Determining sexually violent person status; commitment procedures

A. The court or jury shall determine beyond a reasonable doubt if the person named in the petition is a sexually violent person. If the state alleges that the sexually violent offense on which the petition for commitment is based was sexually motivated, the state shall prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged sexually violent act was sexually motivated.

B. If the court or jury determines that the person is a sexually violent person, the court shall either:

1. Commit the person to the custody of the department of health services for placement in a licensed facility under the supervision of the superintendent of the Arizona state hospital and shall receive care, supervision or treatment until the person's mental disorder has so changed that the person would not be a threat to public safety if the person was conditionally released to a less restrictive alternative or was unconditionally discharged.

2. Order that the person be released to a less restrictive alternative if the conditions under sections 36-3710 and 36-3711 are met.

C. If the court or jury does not determine beyond a reasonable doubt that the person is a sexually violent person, the court shall order the person's release.

D. If the person named in the petition was found incompetent to stand trial, the court first shall hear evidence and determine if the person committed the act or acts charged if the court did not enter a finding before the charges were dismissed. The court shall enter specific findings on whether the person committed the act or acts charged, the extent to which the person's incompetence to stand trial affected the outcome of the hearing, including its effect on the person's ability to consult with and assist counsel and to testify on the person's own behalf, the extent to which the evidence could be reconstructed without the assistance of the person and the strength of the prosecution's case. If the court finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the person committed the act or acts charged, the court shall enter a final order to that effect and may then consider whether the person should be committed pursuant to this section.