State Seeks Civil Commitment of Priest Convicted of Sexual Abuse

Despite the many stories of clergy abuse that have come to light over the past decade, incidents of priest abuse are still shocking to many people and many people remain concerned about what will happen when a convicted priest reenters society after serving his prison time.

Last week the Illinois Attorney General’s Office announced that former West Side priest Daniel McCormack would likely not be released from custody.  Instead, the state was seeking to have Mr. McCormack civilly committed under the Illinois Sexually Violent Persons Act.  The Illinois Sexually Violent Persons Act allows the state to keep the very worst sex offenders confined indefinitely by having them civilly committed.

In order to be civilly committed under this law, a person must have been convicted of a sexual crime and have a mental disorder.  Prosecutors must also believe that there is a strong likelihood that the person will commit sexual abuse again in the future.

The state believes that Mr. McCormack’s actions are indicative of a mental disorder.  They are particularly concerned that he continued to abuse children after police officers began questioning him about such abuse and about his previous pattern of abuse.

If Mr. McCormack is civilly committed, that commitment will need to be regularly reviewed to make sure that he continues to qualify for a civil commitment under state law.

This law may provide protection for the public against known sex offenders.  However, it does not help past victims of priest sexual abuse.  If you have been a victim of clergy abuse then please contact an Illinois clergy abuse attorney for a free consultation to discuss your rights.

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