SEXUAL PSYCHOPATH IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, THE

2 laws are discussed: (a) the 1948 District of Columbia Sexual Psychopath Act; & (b) the 1964 Mentally Ill Act. 2 recent cases pertaining to these laws are reviewed re the following constitutional issues they raised: the preventive detention issue, the due process clause, the equal protection issue, & the cruel & unusual punishment issue. It is concluded that "The Sexual Psychopath Act should be abolished. It is a repressive anachronism & stands in stark contrast to the liberalization trends exemplified in the Durham decision & the 1964 Mentally Ill Act. There is no need to separate sex offenders from other individuals with mental illness." The 1948 Act violates the basic constitutional concepts of liberty & due process. M. Maxfield.