HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 1063
As Reported by House Committee On:
Criminal Justice & Corrections
Title: An act relating to adding a victim notification system to the state jail booking and reporting system.
Brief Description: Providing for victim notification.
Sponsors: Representatives Ballasiotes, O'Brien, Lovick, Haigh and Benson.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Criminal Justice & Corrections: 1/24/01, 1/31/01 [DP].
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Brief Summary of Bill
$Expands the statewide central booking and reporting system to include a victim notification system.
$Provides victims of crime notification of the release or transfer of an incarcerated person from a local incarceration facility.
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE & CORRECTIONS
Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 8 members: Representatives Ballasiotes, Republican Co‑Chair; O'Brien, Democratic Co‑Chair; Ahern, Republican Vice Chair; Lovick, Democratic Vice Chair; Cairnes, Kagi, Kirby and Morell.
Staff: Yvonne Walker (786‑7841).
Background:
The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) implements and operates a statewide central booking and reporting system. The system contains the following:
$each offense an arrested individual is being charged with;
$descriptive information about each offender such as the offender's name, vital statistics, address, and mugshot;
$any information about the offender while in jail, which could be used to protect criminal justice officials that have future contact with the offender, such as medical conditions and behavior problems;
$statistical data indicating the current capacity of each jail, and the quantity and category of offenses charged; and
$the ability to communicate directly and immediately with the city and county jails and other criminal justice entities.
The system is part of the Washington Justice Information Network and is capable of communicating electronically with every city and county jail and with all state criminal justice agencies located in Washington. The system does not contain an electronic victim notification system capable of notifying a victim when an offender is about to be released or transferred to another form of confinement.
Summary of Bill:
The WASPC=s statewide central booking and reporting system is expanded to include the date and time each offender is released or transferred from local incarceration or partial confinement. In addition, the WASPC must integrate a victim notification system into its electronic statewide central booking and reporting system. The system will provide victims of crime, who have made a notification request, notification of the release or transfer of an incarcerated person from a local jail, juvenile detention facility, or a partial confinement program operated by a city or county.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: Last year the Legislature authorized the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) to implement an electronic jail booking system in which the WASPC was able to obtain approximately $805,000 in federal money to fund the project. As the electronic system was being implemented WASPC found out that a victim notification program could inexpensively be added to the system while the entire computerized system is currently being built. If the victim notification program is added to the system after the entire electronic system is already implemented then the upgrade on the system will cost more money.
All victims are eligible to sign up to be notified of the movement of an offender. All victims will be provided a 1-800 phone number in order to be put on a notification list. There will be no cost to the victim for this service.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: (In support) Larry Erickson, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs; and Suzanne Brown, Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs.