Rights of persons committed under this chapter — Use of personal computers regulated.
RCW 71.09.080
in effect(1) Any person subjected to restricted liberty as a sexually violent predator pursuant to this chapter shall not forfeit any legal right or suffer any legal disability as a consequence of any actions taken or orders made, other than as specifically provided in this chapter, or as otherwise authorized by law. (2)(a) Any person committed or detained pursuant to this chapter shall be prohibited from possessing or accessing a personal computer if the resident's individualized treatment plan states that access to a computer is harmful to bringing about a positive response to a specific and certain phase or course of treatment. (b) A person who is prohibited from possessing or accessing a personal computer under (a) of this subsection shall be permitted to access a limited functioning personal computer capable of word processing and limited data storage on the computer only that does not have: (i) Internet access capability; (ii) an optical drive, external drive, universal serial bus port, or similar drive capability; or (iii) the capability to display photographs, images, videos, or motion pictures, or similar display capability from any drive or port capability listed under (b)(ii) of this subsection. (3) Any person committed pursuant to this chapter has the right to adequate care, individualized treatment, and the development of an ongoing, clinically appropriate discharge plan as part of the treatment process. The department of social and health services shall keep records detailing all medical, expert, and professional care and treatment received by a committed person, and shall keep copies of all reports of periodic examinations made pursuant to this chapter. All such records and reports shall be made available upon request only to: The committed person, his or her attorney, the prosecuting agency, the court, the protection and advocacy agency, or another expert or professional person who, upon proper showing, demonstrates a need for access to such records. (4) The right to the development of a discharge plan under subsection (3) of this section does not guarantee that any particular person will be determined appropriate for discharge at any particular time. Nothing in this section precludes the department from expressing professional judgment regarding the suitability of discharge for the protection of a resident's safety or community safety. Individualized and ongoing discharge planning requires, at a minimum, and as part of a person's treatment plan, the following are addressed based on information known to the department and in accordance with policies developed by the department to implement this subsection: (a) The resident's known physical health, functioning, and any need for health aid devices; (b) The resident's known intellectual or cognitive level of functioning and need for specialized programming; (c) The resident's known history of substance use and abuse; (d) The resident's known history of risky or impulsive behaviors, criminogenic needs, and treatment interventions to address them; (e) The resident's known ability to perform life skills and activities of daily living independently and the resident's known need for any disability accommodations; (f) A summary of the known community services and supports the resident needs for a safe life in the community and the type of providers of such services and support; and (g) A plan to mitigate the needs identified in this subsection that also addresses ways to develop or increase social supports, recreation opportunities, gainful employment, and if applicable, spiritual opportunities. (5) At the time a person is taken into custody or transferred into a facility pursuant to a petition under this chapter, the professional person in charge of such facility or his or her designee shall take reasonable precautions to inventory and safeguard the personal property of the persons detained or transferred. A copy of the inventory, signed by the staff member making it, shall be given to the person detained and shall, in addition, be open to inspection to any responsible relative, subject to limitations, if any, specifically imposed by the detained person. For purposes of this subsection, "responsible relative" includes the guardian, conservator, attorney, spouse, parent, adult child, or adult brother or sister of the person. The facility shall not disclose the contents of the inventory to any other person without consent of the patient or order of the court. (6) Nothing in this chapter prohibits a person presently committed from exercising a right presently available to him or her for the purpose of obtaining release from confinement, including the right to petition for a writ of habeas corpus. (7) No indigent person may be conditionally released or unconditionally discharged under this chapter without suitable clothing, and the secretary shall furnish the person with such sum of money as is required by RCW 72.02.100 for persons without ample funds who are released from correctional institutions. As funds are available, the secretary may provide payment to the indigent persons conditionally released pursuant to this chapter consistent with the optional provisions of RCW 72.02.100 and 72.02.110 , and may adopt rules to do so. (8) If a civil commitment petition is dismissed, or a trier of fact determines that a person does not meet civil commitment criteria, the person shall be released within twenty-four hours of service of the release order on the superintendent of the special commitment center, or later by agreement of the person who is the subject of the petition.
(1) Any person subjected to restricted liberty as a sexually violent predator pursuant to this chapter shall not forfeit any legal right or suffer any legal disability as a consequence of any actions taken or orders made, other than as specifically provided in this chapter, or as otherwise authorized by law.
(2)(a) Any person committed or detained pursuant to this chapter shall be prohibited from possessing or accessing a personal computer if the resident's individualized treatment plan states that access to a computer is harmful to bringing about a positive response to a specific and certain phase or course of treatment.
(b) A person who is prohibited from possessing or accessing a personal computer under (a) of this subsection shall be permitted to access a limited functioning personal computer capable of word processing and limited data storage on the computer only that does not have: (i) Internet access capability; (ii) an optical drive, external drive, universal serial bus port, or similar drive capability; or (iii) the capability to display photographs, images, videos, or motion pictures, or similar display capability from any drive or port capability listed under (b)(ii) of this subsection.
(3) Any person committed pursuant to this chapter has the right to adequate care, individualized treatment, and the development of an ongoing, clinically appropriate discharge plan as part of the treatment process. The department of social and health services shall keep records detailing all medical, expert, and professional care and treatment received by a committed person, and shall keep copies of all reports of periodic examinations made pursuant to this chapter. All such records and reports shall be made available upon request only to: The committed person, his or her attorney, the prosecuting agency, the court, the protection and advocacy agency, or another expert or professional person who, upon proper showing, demonstrates a need for access to such records.
(4) The right to the development of a discharge plan under subsection (3) of this section does not guarantee that any particular person will be determined appropriate for discharge at any particular time. Nothing in this section precludes the department from expressing professional judgment regarding the suitability of discharge for the protection of a resident's safety or community safety. Individualized and ongoing discharge planning requires, at a minimum, and as part of a person's treatment plan, the following are addressed based on information known to the department and in accordance with policies developed by the department to implement this subsection:
(a) The resident's known physical health, functioning, and any need for health aid devices;
(b) The resident's known intellectual or cognitive level of functioning and need for specialized programming;
(c) The resident's known history of substance use and abuse;
(d) The resident's known history of risky or impulsive behaviors, criminogenic needs, and treatment interventions to address them;
(e) The resident's known ability to perform life skills and activities of daily living independently and the resident's known need for any disability accommodations;
(f) A summary of the known community services and supports the resident needs for a safe life in the community and the type of providers of such services and support; and
(g) A plan to mitigate the needs identified in this subsection that also addresses ways to develop or increase social supports, recreation opportunities, gainful employment, and if applicable, spiritual opportunities.
(5) At the time a person is taken into custody or transferred into a facility pursuant to a petition under this chapter, the professional person in charge of such facility or his or her designee shall take reasonable precautions to inventory and safeguard the personal property of the persons detained or transferred. A copy of the inventory, signed by the staff member making it, shall be given to the person detained and shall, in addition, be open to inspection to any responsible relative, subject to limitations, if any, specifically imposed by the detained person. For purposes of this subsection, "responsible relative" includes the guardian, conservator, attorney, spouse, parent, adult child, or adult brother or sister of the person. The facility shall not disclose the contents of the inventory to any other person without consent of the patient or order of the court.
(6) Nothing in this chapter prohibits a person presently committed from exercising a right presently available to him or her for the purpose of obtaining release from confinement, including the right to petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
(7) No indigent person may be conditionally released or unconditionally discharged under this chapter without suitable clothing, and the secretary shall furnish the person with such sum of money as is required by RCW 72.02.100 for persons without ample funds who are released from correctional institutions. As funds are available, the secretary may provide payment to the indigent persons conditionally released pursuant to this chapter consistent with the optional provisions of RCW 72.02.100 and 72.02.110 , and may adopt rules to do so.
(8) If a civil commitment petition is dismissed, or a trier of fact determines that a person does not meet civil commitment criteria, the person shall be released within twenty-four hours of service of the release order on the superintendent of the special commitment center, or later by agreement of the person who is the subject of the petition.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=71.09&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026