FINAL BILL REPORT

                 SHB 1062

                         C 101 L 95

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Using juvenile serious violent offenses as criminal history for adult sentencing.

Sponsors:  House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Ballasiotes, Koster, Cooke, Costa, Schoesler, Morris, Boldt, Benton, Foreman, Sheldon, Kremen, Mastin, Lisk, Chandler and Carlson).

House Committee on Corrections

House Committee on Appropriations

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

Background:  The sentencing of adult felons is governed by Washington's Sentencing Reform Act (SRA).  The SRA sets up standard sentence ranges based on two factors:  the seriousness of the crime of conviction and the extent of the defendant's criminal history.

Criminal history, for purposes of the SRA, can sometimes include offenses that the defendant committed as a juvenile.  The rules for including these juvenile offenses are as follows:

!Previous juvenile sex offenses are always included. 

!Other class A juvenile felonies are included only if the offender committed the offense while aged 15 years or older.

!Other class B and C juvenile felonies are included only if the offender committed the offense while aged 15 years or older and the offender was 22 years or less at the time the current offense was committed.

When a juvenile offense is not included as criminal history under these rules, the

offense is said to "wash out." 

A concern exists about the washing out of previous juvenile adjudications for serious violent offenses.  Serious violent offenses are defined as first degree murder, homicide by abuse, second degree murder, first degree assault, first degree kidnapping, first degree rape, first degree assault of a child, as well as any attempt, criminal conspiracy or criminal solicitation to commit these offenses.  All serious violent offenses are class A felonies.

Summary:  Previous juvenile adjudications for serious violent offenses are always included in an adult felon's criminal history under the SRA.  

Votes on Final Passage:

House     98 0

Senate    44 0

Effective:  July 23, 1995