Two State Supreme Court rulings uphold Missouri’s sexually violent predator law. Two unanimous rulings in two cases of former prisoners found to be sexuallyviolent predators who then were confined to state mental treatment in Farmington. And though the opinion was unanimous, Judge Mike Wolff raises questions about whetherthe state is actually treating such offenders or merely warehousing them. Attorney General Jay Nixon, who welcomes the ruling, says some resist treatment, because they have very dangerous sexual abnormalities. The Court ruled in the case against Nelvin Spencer from Scott County and Michael Norton from Clark County. The defense for the two offenders had argued the state law violated their right to liberty and had made an “end-around” regular procedures by seeking out-of-state expert testimony when a state psychiatrist failed to provide the diagnosis state officialswanted.
