Section 135-E:7-1 Determination of Probable Cause.
I. When the county attorney or attorney general files a petition seeking to have a person declared a sexually violent predator, within 10 days of the filing of the petition, the court shall determine whether probable cause exists to believe that the person named in the petition is a sexually violent predator. If the court determines based on the content of the petition that there is probable cause to believe that the person is a sexually violent predator, the court shall order that the person remain in custody and be held in an appropriate secure facility for further proceedings in accordance with this chapter. The court shall schedule a preliminary pre-trial conference within 10 business days of its probable cause determination.
II. If the offender's incarcerative sentence expires before a hearing on the merits of a petition for civil commitment pursuant to this chapter, the court shall conduct a probable cause hearing within 2 days of the expiration of the person's incarcerative sentence. If the court concludes following the hearing that there is probable cause to believe that the person is a sexually violent predator, the court shall order that the person remain in custody and held in an appropriate secure facility for further proceedings in accordance with this chapter.
III. A probable cause hearing shall not be required under this section if the court has already made a probable cause determination pursuant to RSA 135-E:4, I.
Source. 2006, 327:21, eff. Jan. 1, 2007. 2009, 306:14, eff. Sept. 1, 2010.