Ward

Defendant Ronald William Ward (defendant) appeals from a judgment following a jury finding that he is a sexually violent predator within the meaning of Welfare and Institutions Code section 6600. [1] The court ordered that defendant be committed to Atascadero State Hospital for a period of two years, beginning on July 21, 1997.

The Sexually Violent Predators (SVP) Act provides for the continued confinement of "sexually violent predators" in the custody of the Department of Mental Health (DMH) after they have served their prison sentences. The act defines a sexually violent predator as "a person who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense against two or more victims for which he or she received a determinate sentence and who has a diagnosed mental disorder that makes the person a danger to the health and safety of others in that it is likely that he or she will engage in sexually violent criminal behavior." (§ 6600, subd. (a).) The initial commitment is for a term of two years, which can be extended by filing subsequent petitions. (§ 6604.) A more detailed description of the SVP Act is found in Hubbart v. Superior Court (1999) 19 Cal.4th 1138 , 81 Cal.Rptr.2d…