“To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for the civil commitment of persons who are a danger to public safety, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section expands civil commitment authority under current law—which permits post-incarceration detention of persons in federal custody who, due to mental illness, are sexually dangerous to others—to also cover persons who are a danger to public safety (i.e., those who have engaged or attempted crimes of violence; burglary, robbery, or larceny; unlawful public possession, use, sale, transfer, or distribution of controlled substances; urban camping or urban squatting; or vandalism, and who suffer from a serious mental illness making it difficult to refrain from such acts). It requires the Attorney General or Bureau of Prisons Director to evaluate for such commitment any homeless individual (as defined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act) who entered federal custody while homeless or had criminal charges dismissed solely due to mental condition. It adds corresponding definitions to 18 U.S.C. §4247, including “urban camping” (using temporary outdoor shelter exceeding 24 hours on non-recreational public or private property) and “urban squatting” (unauthorized occupation of vacant or abandoned buildings, structures, or land).