In 1997 the U.S. Supreme Court held that a state law that provided procedures for the civil commitment of persons who, because of mental abnormality or personality disorder, are likely to engage in "predatory acts of sexual violence" did not constitute criminal punishment.

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This statement accurately reflects the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in Kansas v. Hendricks (1997). The Court held that the Kansas Sexually Violent Predator Act, which allowed for the civil commitment of individuals deemed likely to commit sexual violence due to mental abnormality, did not constitute criminal punishment and therefore did not violate the Double Jeopardy or Ex Post Facto Clauses of the Constitution.