Punished For Future Crimes? | Dr. Samantha Stein on DEVIANT

Being punished for crimes you haven’t committed yet sounds like Minority Report. But in 15 states—including California—it’s the law. Under the Sexually Violent Predator Act (SVP), offenders who’ve already served their time can be held indefinitely if experts believe they’re likely to reoffend. In this episode of DEVIANT: Off Script, host Dan Szematowicz sits down with Dr. Samantha Stein, forensic psychologist and author of Evil at Our Table: Inside the Minds of the Monsters Who Live Among Us. Dr. Stein is one of the few evaluators trusted to decide whether violent sexual offenders should be involuntarily hospitalized after release. We dive into: How the SVP program actually works—and why it’s so controversial. The cases of “Joe” and “Luke Miller,” two offenders whose outcomes highlight the tension between public safety and civil liberties. The emotional toll of sitting across from serial predators—and why treating them can sometimes feel like prevention work. The broader questions society faces when deciding how to deal with people who’ve committed unthinkable crimes. It’s a rare, unflinching look inside a system that blurs the line between justice and prediction. Samantha Stein’s book, Evil at Our Table, is available wherever books are sold, including here: https://a.co/d/c7huoJB 👉 Subscribe for more deep-dive true crime conversations: https://www.youtube.com/@deviant.podcast 👉 Support the show + get exclusive content: www.deviantpodcast.com 👉 Follow us on TikTok & Instagram: @deviantdopodcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices