Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Committee

HB 1099

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

The Community Protection Act of 1990 allows a sexually violent predator to be civilly committed. A sexually violent predator is defined as a person who:

has been convicted of, or charged with, a crime of sexual violence; and

suffers from a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence if not confined to a secure facility.

Sexually violent predators are committed to the custody of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) for control, care, and individualized treatment. Most sexually violent predators are currently housed at the Special Commitment Center (SCC) on McNeil Island. Because they are civilly committed (as opposed to criminally committed), residents of the SCC are not subject to as many restrictions as persons confined pursuant to a criminal conviction. For example, residents of the SCC generally have free access to the telephone during the day. The DSHS currently does not log the telephone calls of residents of the SCC.

Summary of Bill:

The DSHS is required to maintain a log of phone calls made by residents of the SCC. The log must indicate the date and time when each phone call was made, the length of the call, the name of the resident who made the call, and the number called. The DSHS may contract with a private organization to maintain the log. The log is exempt from public inspection and copying.