HOUSE BILL ANALYSIS

HB 1781

Title:An act relating to the monitoring of supervised offenders under the jurisdiction of the state department of corrections.

Brief Description:Expanding the supervision management and recidivist tracking program.

Sponsors: Representatives Lambert and Ballasiotes.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONS

Staff:  Yvonne Walker (786-7841)

Background:  The supervision management and recidivist tracking program, otherwise known as SMART in the city of Redmond, is a community monitoring program for released offenders.

Prior to an offender=s release, the Department of Corrections identifies where the offender plans to reside and then notifies the local law enforcement agency within that community.  The Department of Corrections provides the local law enforcement agency with pertinent background information on the offender=s criminal history, sentence, and community placement requirements.  Once the offender is released, local law enforcement officers begin to make regular visits to the offender in addition to the regular visits he or she may receive from their assigned community correction officer.  This allows local officers to get to know the inmates through face-to-face contact and to operate as a 24-hour eye for community corrections officers.  Every time a contact, whether suspicious or routine,  is made between the local law officer and the offender the local police departments informs the Department of Corrections, in writing, regarding the status of the released offender.

This program serves as a communication link between the Department of Corrections, the local community corrections offices and the participating local law enforcement agencies.  Although cities outside of Redmond such as Aberdeen, Seattle, and Tacoma have similar programs with the same concept the programs are not identical and are operated differently in each city. 

Summary:  The Attorney General (AG) may contract with the city of Redmond=s police department, the Department of Corrections (DOC) and any other state, local or private agency interested in implementing a supervision management and recidivist tracking program.  All programs must include a computer linkage between the AG=s main data base for homicide investigative tracking (HITS), the DOC, and each local law enforcement department participating in the program.

 Local law enforcement agencies will electronically transfer each contact report on offenders who are under DOC supervision directly into the HITS computer system data base.  HITS then electronically sends the reports on to the DOC and the corrections officer who is responsible for supervising the subject.  The information will also remain in the HITS data base, where it is accessible to the DOC or any other local participating police department.

A total of $1.5 million is appropriated during the 1997-98 fiscal year and $.5 million during the 1998-99 fiscal year to the Attorney General=s Office to fund the supervision management and recidivist tracking program.  Appropriations for this program must only be used for computer hardware, software, and any initial start-up costs encountered by each participating agency.

Require the Exercise of Rule - Making Powers:  No

Fiscal Note:  Requested on February 11, 1997.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.