Texas To Reform Sex Offender Civil Commitment Program

On June 17, 2015, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 746, to reform the state’s civil commitment program for sexually violent offenders. The legislation changes the name of the state entity that is responsible for providing supervision and treatment to civilly committed sex offenders and makes multiple changes to improve how the program functions. The Office of Violent Sex Offender Management (OVSOM) will be renamed the Texas Civil Commitment Office (TCCO). The TCCO is required to develop a tiered supervision and treatment program for civilly committed persons that provides a seamless transition from total confinement to . . .