California Code, Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 6250

(a) As used in this part, “* * * a person subject to judicial commitment” means a person who may be judicially committed under this part as a mentally disordered sex offender pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 6331), a sexually violent predator pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 6600), or a person with intellectual disabilities pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 6500) of Chapter 2.

(b) Nothing in this part shall be held to change or interfere with the provisions of the Penal Code and other laws relating to persons with mental health disorders who are charged with a crime or to persons who are found to be not guilty by reason of insanity.

(c) This part shall be liberally construed so that, as far as possible and consistent with the rights of persons subject to commitment, those persons shall be treated, not as criminals, but as sick persons.