Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Criminal Justice & Corrections Committee

SSB 6286

Brief Description:  Revising provisions relating to the time permitted for review by the indeterminate sentence review board of sex offenders who are sentenced to short sentences under RCW 9.94A.712.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Long and Hargrove).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$Changes the time period within which certain sex offenders must be evaluated by the Department of Corrections and the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board.

Hearing Date:  2/22/02

Staff:  Jim Morishima (786‑7191).

Background:

An offender who commits a sex offense that is a "two strikes" offense, or an offender who has a prior conviction of a two strikes offense who commits a new sex offense, receives a minimum term equal to the standard sentencing range under the Sentencing Reform Act plus a maximum term equal to the maximum allowable term of confinement. 

Offenders sentenced to such a sentence must be evaluated by the Department of Corrections (DOC) before the expiration of their minimum terms to determine their sexual dangerousness.  Such offenders must also be evaluated by the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) no later than 90 days before expiration of their minimum terms, but after the DOC's end of sentence review process and recommendations for additional or modified terms of community custody, to determine their likelihood of re-offending.  For a small number of offenders who are sentenced to short sentences, it may be impossible for the DOC and the ISRB to meet these deadlines.

Summary of Bill:

If an offender's minimum sentence has expired or will expire within 120 days, the DOC must evaluate the offender within 90 days of the offender's arrival at a DOC facility.  Such an offender must be evaluated by the ISRB no later than 120 days after arriving at a DOC facility, but after the DOC's end of sentence review process and recommendations for additional or modified terms of community custody.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available on original bill.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.