The Special Commitment Center (SCC) in the state of Washington is a post-sentence treatment institution for people designated as sexually violent predators, located on McNeil Island. Civil commitment is the subject of controversy because it allows the involuntary civil confinement of a sex offender after he or she has fulfilled the court's sentence. History Washington State's 1990 Community Protection Act was meant to address limitations in involuntary-commitment law and institutions by allowing indefinite, involuntary civil commitment of violent sexual offenders who meet specified criteria. The previous system managed only short-term treatment of persons with serious mental disorders—with the intent of quickly returning them to the community. The Act uniquely applies to violent sexual offenders who meet the less stringent criteria of a personality disorder or mental abnormality which is believed to make them likely to offend again. Under this law, "sexually violent predators" are defined as people with a history of sexually violent crime and "personality disorders and/or mental abnormalities which are unamenable to existing mental illness treatment modalities and those conditions render them likely to engage in sexually violent behavior", targeting strangers, or establishing relationships specifically for the purpose of victimization, if released into the community. "Mental abnormalities" and "personality disorders" typically refer to DSM-IV diagnoses, which are established through structured interviews with the subject. The Special Commitment Center was established in April 1990 to manage those committed under the Act. In the beginning, the SCC managed only six people; that number grew at a rate of about 22 persons per year. In late 2001, a temporary Secure Community Transition Facility (SCTF) was established in order to comply with legislation that allowed court-ordered conditional releases. In 2003, SCTF was moved to its present permanent location in the North Complex on McNeil Island. In May 2004, in the same complex, the SCC opened a dedicated facility known as the Total Confinement Facility to house confined residents. Controversy In 2001, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the rights of two residents were violated because during their commitment proceedings they were not allowed to present evidence that a less restrictive treatment alternative would have been more effective than total confinement. Since the decision, several residents in total confinement were allowed to move to private residences or halfway houses. Residents of the Special Commitment Center receive $1 to $3 per hour for work performed while in the program. A lawsuit has been