S-3497.2          _______________________________________________

 

                                 SENATE BILL 6142

                  _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington              56th Legislature             2000 Regular Session

 

By Senator Swecker

 

Read first time 01/10/2000.  Referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

Changing provisions relating to financial responsibility for confinement of offenders.


     AN ACT Relating to financial responsibility for confinement of offenders; and amending RCW 9.94A.207 and 70.48.440.

 

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

 

     Sec. 1.  RCW 9.94A.207 and 1999 c 196 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:

     (1) The secretary may issue warrants for the arrest of any offender who violates a condition of community placement or community custody.  The arrest warrants shall authorize any law enforcement or peace officer or community corrections officer of this state or any other state where such offender may be located, to arrest the offender and place him or her in total confinement pending disposition of the alleged violation.  The department shall compensate the local jurisdictions ((at the office of financial management's adjudicated rate, in accordance with RCW 70.48.440)) at the per diem rate equal to the lowest rate charged by the county under its contract with a municipal government during the year in which the use occurs.  A community corrections officer, if he or she has reasonable cause to believe an offender in community placement or community custody has violated a condition of community placement or community custody, may suspend the person's community placement or community custody status and arrest or cause the arrest and detention in total confinement of the offender, pending the determination of the secretary as to whether the violation has occurred.  The community corrections officer shall report to the secretary all facts and circumstances and the reasons for the action of suspending community placement or community custody status.  A violation of a condition of community placement or community custody shall be deemed a violation of the sentence for purposes of RCW 9.94A.195.  The authority granted to community corrections officers under this section shall be in addition to that set forth in RCW 9.94A.195.

     (2) Inmates, as defined in RCW 72.09.015, and felons sentenced to more than twelve months of total confinement, who have been transferred to community custody or community placement and who are detained in a local correctional facility are the financial responsibility of the department of corrections((, except as provided in subsection (3) of this section)).  The community custody inmate shall be removed from the local correctional facility, except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, not later than eight days, excluding weekends and holidays, following admittance to the local correctional facility and notification that the inmate is available for movement to a state correctional institution.

     (3) The department may negotiate with local correctional authorities for an additional period of detention; however, sex offenders sanctioned for community custody violations under RCW 9.94A.205(2) to a term of confinement shall remain in the local correctional facility for the complete term of the sanction.  ((For confinement sanctions imposed under RCW 9.94A.205(2)(a), the local correctional facility shall be financially responsible.  For confinement sanctions imposed under RCW 9.94A.205(2)(b), the department of corrections shall be financially responsible for that portion of the sanction served during the time in which the sex offender is on community custody in lieu of earned release, and the local correctional facility shall be financially responsible for that portion of the sanction served by the sex offender after the time in which the sex offender is on community custody in lieu of earned release.))  The department, in consultation with the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs and those counties in which the sheriff does not operate a correctional facility, shall establish a methodology for determining the department's local correctional facilities bed utilization rate, for each county in calendar year 1998, for offenders being held for violations of conditions of community custody, community placement, or community supervision.  For confinement sanctions imposed under RCW 9.94A.205(2) (c) or (d), the local correctional facility shall continue to be financially responsible to the extent of the calendar year 1998 bed utilization rate.  If the department's use of bed space in local correctional facilities of any county for confinement sanctions imposed on offenders sentenced to a term of community custody under RCW 9.94A.205(2) (c) or (d) exceeds the 1998 bed utilization rate for the county, the department shall compensate the county for the excess use at the per diem rate equal to the lowest rate charged by the county under its contract with a municipal government during the year in which the use occurs.

 

     Sec. 2.  RCW 70.48.440 and 1984 c 235 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

     The office of financial management shall establish a uniform equitable rate for reimbursing cities and counties for the care of sentenced felons who are the financial responsibility of the department of corrections and are detained or incarcerated in a city or county jail.

     Until June 30, 1985, the rate for the care of sentenced felons who are the financial responsibility of the department of corrections shall be ten dollars per day.  Cost of extraordinary emergency medical care incurred by prisoners who are the financial responsibility of the department of corrections under this chapter shall be reimbursed.  The department of corrections shall be advised as far in advance as practicable by competent medical authority of the nature and course of treatment required to ensure the most efficient use of state resources to address the medical needs of the offender.  In the event emergency medical care is needed, the department of corrections shall be advised as soon as practicable after the offender is treated.

     Prior to June 30, 1985, the office of financial management shall meet with the corrections standards board to establish criteria to determine equitable rates regarding variable costs for sentenced felons who are the financial responsibility of the department of corrections after June 30, 1985.  The office of financial management shall reestablish these rates each even-numbered year beginning in 1986.

     After June 30, 2002, the per diem rate for the care of sentenced felons under the supervision of the department of corrections shall be the per diem rate equal to the lowest rate charged by the county under its contract with a municipal government during the year in which the use occurs.

 


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