H-1573              _______________________________________________

 

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2123

                        _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

 

By Representatives R. Meyers, P. King and Crane

 

 

Read first time 2/22/89 and referred to Committee on Judiciary.

 

 


AN ACT Relating to minor or first offenders; and amending RCW 13.40.020.

 

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

 

        Sec. 1.  Section 56, chapter 291, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. as last amended by section 17, chapter 145, Laws of 1988 and RCW 13.40.020 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 rape in the second degree; or

          (c) Assault in the second degree, extortion in the first degree, child molestation in the first or second degree, rape of a child in the second degree, kidnapping in the second degree, robbery in the second degree, 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;

          (2) "Community service" means compulsory service, without compensation, performed for the benefit of the community by the offender as punishment for committing an offense;

          (3) "Community supervision" means an order of disposition by the court of an adjudicated youth.  A community supervision order for a single offense may be for a period of up to one year and 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;

          (c) Attendance of information classes;

          (d) Counseling; or

          (e) Such other services to the extent funds are available for such services, conditions, or limitations as the court may require which may not include confinement;

          (4) "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 facility operated by or pursuant to a contract with any county.  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;

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

          (6) "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;

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

          (8) "Diversion unit" means any probation counselor who enters into a diversion agreement with an alleged youthful offender or any other person or entity with whom the juvenile court administrator has contracted to arrange and supervise such agreements pursuant to RCW 13.04.040, as now or hereafter amended, or any person or entity specially funded by the legislature to arrange and supervise diversion agreements in accordance with the requirements of this chapter;

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

          (10) "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;

          (11) "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;

          (12) "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;

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

          (14) "Minor or first offender" means a person sixteen years of age or younger whose current offense(s) and criminal history fall entirely within one of the following categories:

          (a) Four misdemeanors;

          (b) Two misdemeanors and one gross misdemeanor;

          (c) One misdemeanor and two gross misdemeanors;

          (d) Three gross misdemeanors;

          (e) One class C felony except manslaughter in the second degree and one misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor;

          (f) One class B felony except:  Any felony which constitutes an attempt to commit a class A felony; manslaughter in the first degree; rape in the second 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; rape of a child in the second degree; vehicular homicide; or arson in the second degree.

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

          (15) "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;

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

          (17) "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, and lost wages resulting from physical injury.  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;

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

          (19) "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;

          (20) "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;

          (21) "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.