South OC Times

Washington – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) has sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, urging an end to the state's Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) Conditional Release Program (CONREP). This program places convicted SVPs into California communities after they petition the court to leave supervised care.

In his letter, Issa states: “Because SVPs have a diagnosed medical disorder, they are neither in treatment nor recovery. This is why SVPs as a matter of course remain in state custody after serving prison sentences and then entering secure treatment facilities. Under California's SVP program, they can petition the court to leave supervised care and be placed in local communities.”

Issa cites a study by the American Psychological Association indicating that nearly half of observed SVPs were returned to custody for violating release terms, with several committing additional sexually violent offenses upon release from inpatient facilities. He asserts: “Even one offense is too many, and by continuing a clearly failed program, California is endangering its communities. Governor, the SVP CONREP is broken. The continued placement of SVPs in our communities is a dangerous mistake, and I urge you to end this program.”

The letter follows the planned placement of an SVP in Poway city. In response, Issa collaborated with Poway city officials and citizen leadership to block this placement successfully.

Poway Deputy Mayor Caylin Frank commented: “I am incredibly proud of our Poway family. I knew we would send the message loud and clear that this monster does not belong here and that’s exactly what we did. We will never stop fighting to protect our community.”

Last year, Issa introduced the Stopping Sexually Violent Predators Act. This legislation aims to end taxpayer funding for SVPs outside correctional or secure medical facilities and mandates states report all convicted SVPs to the U.S. Department of Justice for potential federal charges.