BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to juvenile offenders; amending RCW 13.40.020 and 13.40.070; and adding a new section to chapter 13.40 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 13.40.020 and 1993 c 373 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

For the purposes of this chapter:

(1) "Serious offender" means a person fifteen years of age or older who has committed an offense which if committed by an adult would be:

(a) A class A felony, or an attempt to commit a class A felony;

(b) Manslaughter in the first degree; or

(c) Assault in the second degree, extortion in the first degree, child molestation in the second degree, kidnapping in the second degree, robbery in the second degree, residential burglary, or burglary in the second degree, where such offenses include the infliction of bodily harm upon another or where during the commission of or immediate withdrawal from such an offense the perpetrator is armed with a deadly weapon or firearm as defined in RCW 9A.04.110 or 9.94A.125;

(2) "Community service" means compulsory service, without compensation, performed for the benefit of the community by the offender as punishment for committing an offense. Community service may be performed through public or private organizations or through work crews;

(3) "Community supervision" means an order of disposition by the court of an adjudicated youth not committed to the department. A community supervision order for a single offense may be for a period of up to two years for a sex offense as defined by RCW 9.94A.030 and up to one year for other offenses. Community supervision is an individualized program comprised of one or more of the following:

(a) Community-based sanctions;

(b) Community-based rehabilitation;

(4) Community-based sanctions may include one or more of the following:

(a) A fine, not to exceed one hundred dollars;

(b) Community service not to exceed one hundred fifty hours of service;

(5) "Community-based rehabilitation" means one or more of the following: Attendance of information classes; counseling, outpatient substance abuse treatment programs, outpatient mental health programs, anger management classes, or other services; or attendance at school or other educational programs appropriate for the juvenile as determined by the school district. Placement in community-based rehabilitation programs is subject to available funds;

(6) "Monitoring and reporting requirements" means one or more of the following: Curfews; requirements to remain at home, school, work, or court-ordered treatment programs during specified hours; restrictions from leaving or entering specified geographical areas; requirements to report to the probation officer as directed and to remain under the probation officer's supervision; and other conditions or limitations as the court may require which may not include confinement;

(7) "Confinement" means physical custody by the department of social and health services in a facility operated by or pursuant to a contract with the state, or physical custody in a detention facility operated by or pursuant to a contract with any county. The county may operate or contract with vendors to operate county detention facilities. The department may operate or contract to operate detention facilities for juveniles committed to the department. Pretrial confinement or confinement of less than thirty-one days imposed as part of a disposition or modification order may be served consecutively or intermittently, in the discretion of the court and may be served in a detention group home, detention foster home, or with electronic monitoring. Detention group homes and detention foster homes used for confinement shall not also be used for the placement of dependent children. Confinement in detention group homes and detention foster homes and electronic monitoring are subject to available funds;

(8) "Court", when used without further qualification, means the juvenile court judge(s) or commissioner(s);

(9) "Criminal history" includes all criminal complaints against the respondent for which, prior to the commission of a current offense:

(a) The allegations were found correct by a court. If a respondent is convicted of two or more charges arising out of the same course of conduct, only the highest charge from among these shall count as an offense for the purposes of this chapter; or

(b) The criminal complaint was diverted by a prosecutor pursuant to the provisions of this chapter on agreement of the respondent and after an advisement to the respondent that the criminal complaint would be considered as part of the respondent's criminal history;

(10) "Department" means the department of social and health services;

(11) "Detention facility" means a county facility for the physical confinement of a juvenile alleged to have committed an offense or an adjudicated offender subject to a disposition or modification order;

(12) "Diversion unit" means any probation counselor who enters into a diversion agreement with an alleged youthful offender, or any other person or entity except a law enforcement official or entity, with whom the juvenile court administrator has contracted to arrange and supervise such agreements pursuant to RCW 13.40.080, or any person or entity specially funded by the legislature to arrange and supervise diversion agreements in accordance with the requirements of this chapter;

(13) "Institution" means a juvenile facility established pursuant to chapters 72.05 and 72.16 through 72.20 RCW;

(14) "Juvenile," "youth," and "child" mean any individual who is under the chronological age of eighteen years and who has not been previously transferred to adult court;

(15) "Juvenile offender" means any juvenile who has been found by the juvenile court to have committed an offense, including a person eighteen years of age or older over whom jurisdiction has been extended under RCW 13.40.300;

(16) "Manifest injustice" means a disposition that would either impose an excessive penalty on the juvenile or would impose a serious, and clear danger to society in light of the purposes of this chapter;

(17) "Middle offender" means a person who has committed an offense and who is neither a minor or first offender nor a serious offender;

(18) "Minor or first offender" means a person ((~~sixteen~~)) fourteen years of age or younger:

(a) Whose current offense((~~(s) and criminal history~~)) falls ((~~entirely~~)) within one of the following categories:

((~~(a) Four~~)) (i) One misdemeanor((s));

((~~(b) Two misdemeanors and~~)) (ii) One gross misdemeanor;

((~~(c) One misdemeanor and two gross misdemeanors;~~

~~(d) Three gross misdemeanors;~~

~~(e)~~)) (iii) One class C felony except manslaughter in the second degree ((~~and one misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor~~)), felony stalking, or rape in the third degree; or

((~~(f)~~)) (iv) One class B felony except: Any felony which constitutes an attempt to commit a class A felony; manslaughter in the first degree; assault in the second degree; extortion in the first degree; indecent liberties; kidnapping in the second degree; robbery in the second degree; burglary in the second degree; residential burglary; vehicular homicide; or arson in the second degree((.

~~For purposes of this definition, current violations shall be counted as misdemeanors~~)); and

(b) Who previously has never been adjudicated of an offense in this state, federal court, or another state; and

(d) Who is not charged with a deadly weapon special allegation as provided in section 3 of this act;

(19) "Offense" means an act designated a violation or a crime if committed by an adult under the law of this state, under any ordinance of any city or county of this state, under any federal law, or under the law of another state if the act occurred in that state;

(20) "Respondent" means a juvenile who is alleged or proven to have committed an offense;

(21) "Restitution" means financial reimbursement by the offender to the victim, and shall be limited to easily ascertainable damages for injury to or loss of property, actual expenses incurred for medical treatment for physical injury to persons, lost wages resulting from physical injury, and costs of the victim's counseling reasonably related to the offense if the offense is a sex offense. Restitution shall not include reimbursement for damages for mental anguish, pain and suffering, or other intangible losses. Nothing in this chapter shall limit or replace civil remedies or defenses available to the victim or offender;

(22) "Secretary" means the secretary of the department of social and health services;

(23) "Services" mean services which provide alternatives to incarceration for those juveniles who have pleaded or been adjudicated guilty of an offense or have signed a diversion agreement pursuant to this chapter;

(24) "Sex offense" means an offense defined as a sex offense in RCW 9.94A.030;

(25) "Sexual motivation" means that one of the purposes for which the respondent committed the offense was for the purpose of his or her sexual gratification;

(26) "Foster care" means temporary physical care in a foster family home or group care facility as defined in RCW 74.15.020 and licensed by the department, or other legally authorized care;

(27) "Violation" means an act or omission, which if committed by an adult, must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and is punishable by sanctions which do not include incarceration.

Sec. 2. RCW 13.40.070 and 1992 c 205 s 107 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Complaints referred to the juvenile court alleging the commission of an offense shall be referred directly to the prosecutor. The prosecutor, upon receipt of a complaint, shall screen the complaint to determine whether:

(a) The alleged facts bring the case within the jurisdiction of the court; and

(b) On a basis of available evidence there is probable cause to believe that the juvenile did commit the offense.

(2) If the identical alleged acts constitute an offense under both the law of this state and an ordinance of any city or county of this state, state law shall govern the prosecutor's screening and charging decision for both filed and diverted cases.

(3) If the requirements of subsections (1) (a) and (b) of this section are met, the prosecutor shall either file an information in juvenile court or divert the case, as set forth in subsections (5), (6), and (7) of this section. If the prosecutor finds that the requirements of subsection (1) (a) and (b) of this section are not met, the prosecutor shall maintain a record, for one year, of such decision and the reasons therefor. In lieu of filing an information or diverting an offense a prosecutor may file a motion to modify community supervision where such offense constitutes a violation of community supervision.

(4) An information shall be a plain, concise, and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. It shall be signed by the prosecuting attorney and conform to chapter 10.37 RCW.

(5) Where a case is legally sufficient, the prosecutor shall file an information with the juvenile court if:

(a) An alleged offender is accused of a class A felony, a class B felony, an attempt to commit a class B felony, a class C felony listed in RCW 9.94A.440(2) as a crime against persons, felony stalking, or any other offense listed in RCW 13.40.020(1) (b) or (c); or

(b) An alleged offender is ((accused of a felony and has a criminal history of at least one class A or class B felony, or two class C felonies, or at least two gross misdemeanors, or at least two misdemeanors and one additional misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor, or at least one class C felony and one misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor)) a serious offender; or

(c) An alleged offender ((~~has previously been committed to the department~~)) is a middle offender who previously has been adjudicated of an offense or who has had one or more diversions as a middle offender or a minor or first offender; or

(d) An alleged offender has been referred by a diversion unit for prosecution or desires prosecution instead of diversion((~~; or~~

~~(e) An alleged offender has three or more diversions on the alleged offender's criminal history~~)).

(6) Where a case is legally sufficient the prosecutor shall divert the case if the alleged offense is a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor or violation and the ((~~alleged offense(s) in combination with the~~)) alleged ((~~offender's~~)) offender does not have any prior criminal history ((~~do not exceed two offenses or violations and do not include any felonies: PROVIDED, That~~)). If the alleged offender is charged with a related offense that must or may be filed under subsections (5) and (7) of this section, a case under this subsection may also be filed.

(7) Where a case is legally sufficient and falls into neither subsection (5) nor (6) of this section, it may be filed or diverted. In deciding whether to file or divert an offense under this section the prosecutor shall be guided only by ((~~the length, seriousness, and recency of the alleged offender's criminal history and~~)) the circumstances surrounding the commission of the alleged offense.

(8) Whenever a juvenile is placed in custody or, where not placed in custody, referred to a diversionary interview, the parent or legal guardian of the juvenile shall be notified as soon as possible concerning the allegation made against the juvenile and the current status of the juvenile. Where a case involves victims ((~~of crimes against persons or victims~~)) whose property has not been recovered at the time a juvenile is referred to a diversionary unit, the victim shall be notified of the referral and informed how to contact the unit.

(9) The responsibilities of the prosecutor under subsections (1) through (8) of this section may be performed by a juvenile court probation counselor for any complaint referred to the court alleging the commission of an offense which would not be a felony if committed by an adult, if the prosecutor has given sufficient written notice to the juvenile court that the prosecutor will not review such complaints.

(10) The prosecutor, juvenile court probation counselor, or diversion unit may, in exercising their authority under this section or RCW 13.40.080, refer juveniles to mediation or victim offender reconciliation programs. Such mediation or victim offender reconciliation programs shall be voluntary for victims.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 13.40 RCW to read as follows:

(1) When sufficient admissible evidence exists to support a finding that the alleged offender or an accomplice was armed with a deadly weapon when the offense was committed, the prosecutor may file a special allegation that the alleged offender or an accomplice was armed with a deadly weapon when the offense was committed.

(2) If the information contains a deadly weapon special allegation, the court shall make a finding of fact, upon a plea of guilty or an adjudication of guilt on the underlying offense, whether the accused or an accomplice was armed with a deadly weapon when the offense was committed.

(3) For purposes of this section, "deadly weapon" means a deadly weapon as defined in RCW 9.94A.125 or 9A.04.110.