Summary

Portrait of William O. Douglas William O. Douglas Specht v. Patterson — Opinion of the Court

The punishment under the second Act is criminal punishment even though it is designed not so much as retribution as it is to keep individuals from inflicting future harm. [1] United States v. Brown, 381 U.S. 437, 458, 85 S.Ct. 1707, 1720, 14 L.Ed.2d 484.
The Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in speaking of a comparable Pennsylvania statute [2] said:
'It is a separate criminal proceeding which may be invoked after conviction of one of the specified crimes. Petitioner therefore was entitled to a full judicial hearing before the magnified sentence was imposed.
Source: Wikisource

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