2 bills aimed at improving community safety advance in WA State Legislature
Bills aimed at improving community safety in WA advance
A Washington bill that seeks to reform pre-trial release policies for both adults and juveniles, as well as enhance judicial accountability, has passed out of the House Community Safety Committee.
OLYMPIA, Wash. - In a significant legislative development, House Bill 1252, which seeks to reform pre-trial release policies for both adults and juveniles as well as enhance judicial accountability, took a major step forward as it successfully passed out of the House Community Safety Committee with a commanding vote of 8 to 1.
The backstory:
The revised legislation mandates that judges provide a written explanation for their decisions regarding the pre-trial release of suspects who flee from law enforcement, and for individuals charged with violent crimes or offenses involving firearms.
Currently in Washington state, there is a presumption of release for defendants. After a preliminary court appearance, anyone charged with a noncapital offense should be released on personal recognizance pending trial. This presumption can be overcome though, if the court finds that the defendant is likely to fail to appear, commit a violent crime, or intimidate witnesses or interfere with justice. Before imposing bail, judges must consider less restrictive options.
However, recent decisions by judges to release suspects pending trial for violent crimes have left family members of victims feeling frustrated.
WA lawmakers discussing bill to reform pre-trial release policies
A new bill would change the way Washington judges set bail for suspects who are deemed public safety threats.
HB 1252 stipulates that judges can only order the release of these high-risk individuals on electronic home monitoring if such monitoring includes real-time oversight coupled with an immediate law enforcement response.
"The electronic monitoring that is used by courts in the state of Washington for defendants pre-trial is not actually monitored. So, there is no real time monitoring and there is no real time response to anything, geographic restriction violation, curfew violation. About 10% of the time defendants cut the strap, no real time response," said Representative Lauren Davis (D-Seattle), who sponsored the bill.
Local perspective:
She pointed to a horrific case in December, in which a 17-year-old, despite being under electronic monitoring, traveled after his curfew and disemboweled a 14-year-old boy in Snohomish County.
"Electronic home monitoring creates a deceptive illusion of safety," said Davis. "What I'm striving to eliminate is the misguided belief that there exists a safe middle ground where a defendant charged with a violent or firearms-related offense can be released into the community."
Proponents of the legislation assert that it will significantly bolster public safety, while opponents voice concerns that it could result in higher incarceration rates, particularly impacting juvenile offenders.
Another public safety bill sponsored by Representative Davis was unanimously approved to move forward out of committee. House Bill 1668, which seeks to impose stricter penalties on felons who evade community custody requirements. This situation arises when individuals released from prison fail to report to their community corrections officer as mandated or violate the terms of their release.
"There were only 78 convictions for escape even though there were 11,000 high level sanctions for the Department of Corrections," said Rep. Davis.
Under the new provisions, the potential confinement period for such offenders who are convicted of escape from community custody would escalate from a minimum of 0 to 90 days to an average range of 14 to 18 months in prison.
What you can do:
To comment on either of these bills, you can connect directly with your state legislator through the Washington State Legislature website.
The Source: Information in this story is from Washington State Legislature, Representative Lauren Davis (D-Seattle), and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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