In re State v. Shannon S.

980 N.E.2d 510 (2012)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

In re State v. Shannon S.

New York Court of Appeals
980 N.E.2d 510 (2012)

Facts

Shannon S. (defendant) had a long criminal history involving sexual crimes: (1) at age 19, he held an acquaintance down on a bed and touched her; (2) at age 24, he had sex with a 15-year-old girl after giving her alcohol and marijuana; (3) at age 26, he raped and sodomized a 13-year-old-girl; and (4) at age 30, he dated a 16-year-old girl, which led to her pregnancy. Shannon pled guilty to each charge and, consequently, received short sentences. Shannon’s first sentence was time served, and his second sentence was conditional discharge and a fine. Shannon received one to three years for the third offense, and two to four years for the fourth offense. While Shannon was incarcerated, the New York State Office of Mental Health (the state) (plaintiff) asked a psychologist to examine Shannon. The psychologist diagnosed Shannon with paraphilia not otherwise specified (NOS), which he defined as relating to recurring sexual urges or conduct that involves mental or physical suffering of nonconsenting partners, and determined that Shannon suffered from a mental abnormality as defined in New York’s law permitting the civil commitment of convicted sex offenders with mental abnormalities. The law defined mental abnormality as a predisposition toward committing sexual offenses. The state submitted a petition for Shannon’s commitment to a mental institution. There was a probable-cause hearing and a nonjury trial. At the trial, another expert testified and diagnosed Shannon not only with paraphilia NOS, but with hebephilia, which did not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). An expert testifying for Shannon disagreed that there was sufficient evidence for a diagnosis of mental abnormality. The trial court ruled in favor of the state. A dispositional hearing resulted in a finding that Shannon was a dangerous sex offender who needed to be confined, and he was committed indefinitely to a treatment facility after he had served his time for his criminal conviction. An appellate court affirmed. Shannon appealed, arguing that a diagnosis not listed in the DSM presented insufficient evidence supporting a finding of mental abnormality or for a diagnosis meeting the statutory definition of a mental abnormality.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Jones, J.)

Dissent (Smith, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership