In re Stephenson on Habeas Corpus

Filed 12/23/24; certified for partial pub. 1/14/25 (order attached)

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT

(Placer) ----

In re WILLIAM STEPHENSON on Habeas Corpus. C099785

(Super. Ct. Nos.

C0SCV0037867,

WHC001813)

In 2007, William Stephenson was civilly committed pursuant to provisions of the Sexually Violent Predator Act (SVPA) (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 6600 et seq.)1 In January 2022, the trial court granted his petition for conditional release into the community but he remains in the custody of the State Department of State Hospitals (DSH). Despite diligent efforts by multiple actors, including the trial court, an appropriate conditional

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.

1 release program for his outpatient treatment and supervision has not been finalized, due largely to the inability to find somewhere he can live. The trial court has denied Stephenson’s multiple requests for release as a transient to a motel or to an immobilized recreational vehicle, citing concerns about public safety. In late 2023, Stephenson filed a habeas corpus petition in the trial court…