Seling v. Young

Summary

The Supreme Court held that a civil statute cannot be deemed punitive 'as applied' to a specific individual for Double Jeopardy and Ex Post Facto challenges. Determining if a statutory scheme is civil or punitive begins with legislative intent and statutory construction; conditions of confinement cannot alter that determination as applied to one person. This resolves the conflict between the Ninth Circuit and Washington Supreme Court regarding the Community Protection Act, clarifying that habeas relief is unavailable based on an individual claim of punitive conditions for a facially civil statute. Justice Stevens dissenting, would have allowed further evidentiary hearing.