HOUSE BILL REPORT
SHB 2407
As Amended by the Senate
Title: An act relating to electronic monitoring of sex offenders.
Brief Description: Revising provisions relating to electronic monitoring of sex offenders.
Sponsors: By House Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections (originally sponsored by Representatives Lovick, Strow, O'Brien, Ericks, Dunshee, Linville, Grant, Lantz, Kessler, Williams, Blake, Morrell, Rodne, Hunt, Conway, P. Sullivan, Springer, Takko, Kilmer, Fromhold, B. Sullivan, Hunter, Simpson, Green, Miloscia, Sells, Upthegrove, Campbell and Ormsby).
Brief History:
Criminal Justice & Corrections: 1/12/06, 1/31/06 [DPS];
Appropriations: 2/3/06, 2/4/06 [DPS(CJC)].
Floor Activity:
Passed House: 2/11/06, 95-1.
Senate Amended.
Passed Senate: 2/28/06, 49-0.
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE & CORRECTIONS
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 7 members: Representatives O'Brien, Chair; Darneille, Vice Chair; Pearson, Ranking Minority Member; Ahern, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Kirby, Strow and Williams.
Staff: Lara Zarowsky (786-7119) and Jim Morishima (786-7191).
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Majority Report: The substitute bill by Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 30 members: Representatives Sommers, Chair; Fromhold, Vice Chair; Alexander, Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; McDonald, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Armstrong, Bailey, Buri, Chandler, Clements, Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dunshee, Grant, Haigh, Hinkle, Hunter, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Linville, McDermott, Miloscia, Pearson, Priest, Schual-Berke, P. Sullivan, Talcott and Walsh.
Staff: Bernard Dean (786-7130).
Background:
An offender convicted of more than one "two-strikes" sex offenses is considered a "persistent
offender" and will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
An offender convicted of a first "two-strikes" sex offense will be sentenced to a "determinate
plus" term; rather than a definitive number of days, a determinate plus sentence consists of a
minimum and maximum term of confinement. The minimum term is generally set within the
standard sentencing range, which takes into account the seriousness of the offense and the
offender score. The maximum term is equal to the statutory maximum for the offense. After
serving the minimum term, the offender is subject to the jurisdiction of the Indeterminate
Sentence Review Board (ISRB) through the end of the maximum term. For all "two-strikes"
offenses, the maximum term is life imprisonment.
"Two-strikes" offenses include:
The following crimes are "two-strikes" sex offenses when committed with sexual motivation:
An offender will be released from custody after serving the minimum term unless the ISRB
finds the offender more likely than not to commit a future predatory sex offense. When the
offender is released, he or she will be in community custody until the expiration of the
maximum term. The obligations of community custody must include certain conditions, such
as reporting to a community corrections officer and obtaining residence approval from the
Department of Corrections (DOC).
The term "electronic monitoring" refers to all electronic offender tracking systems. Such
systems may provide passive or active offender tracking, and may employ radio frequency or
global positioning system (GPS) technology. "Passive" monitoring systems record
information about an offender's whereabouts for later download and examination, while
"active" systems relay real-time reports as to the offender's location. All forms of electronic
monitoring require an offender to wear an electronic device (such as an ankle bracelet) on his
or her body.
Although electronic monitoring is not a mandatory condition of release for sex offenders, it
may be ordered under some circumstances (e.g. as partial confinement for sentences of one
year or less for non-violent offenders).
Summary of Substitute Bill:
The court must impose electronic monitoring for all sex offenders convicted of a first
two-strikes sex offense or failure to register as a sex offender, unless the court finds that such
a condition will be impracticable or inappropriate given the individual circumstances of the
offender. For all other sex offenders, the court may impose a condition of electronic
monitoring, and the DOC is given authority to electronically monitor offenders. If an
offender is able to pay for all or part of the cost associated with electronic monitoring, the
DOC may require the offender to do so. The DOC must notify local law enforcement
whenever an offender is electronically monitored. Civil immunity is extended to the DOC,
local law enforcement and the monitoring agency for acts or omissions related to information
obtained through electronic monitoring.
EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):
Permits the department to recommend and the board to impose electronic monitoring as a
condition of community custody for determinate-plus sex offenders. Deletes the provision
requiring courts to impose such a condition for determinate-plus sex offenders. Allows the
department to impose electronic monitoring as a condition of community custody for
offenders convicted of a sex offense not qualifying for determinate-plus sentencing. Requires
the department to carry out any monitoring requirement within resources made available by
the department for this purpose. Deletes the provision requiring the department to notify
local law enforcement when monitoring an offender. Deletes the provision authoring the
department to require an offender who is able to pay all or part of the monitoring costs.
Modifies the civil immunity provision by deleting local law enforcement and the monitoring
agency, and including local governments and the Washington association of sheriffs and
police chiefs.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: (Criminal Justice & Corrections) (In support of original bill) Dealing with
sex offenders in our communities is a serious and important issue that needs to be addressed.
Monitoring technology is improving continually; being monitored with active GPS by using
an ankle bracelet is not very intrusive for the offender. This bill is a component to a larger
picture. Communities need to be aware of who resides there and what they are capable of. If
we can't put sex offenders away for good, we need to know where they are at all times, and
electronic monitoring sex offenders is a powerful step in this direction. Ideally, we would be
housing and monitoring sex offenders; since we are not able to do this, we need to be creative
and aggressive to ensure safety in our communities.
(Concerns on original bill) There are limitations to the technology even though it is
continually improving. A GPS signal is not always available (bus tunnels, inside some
buildings, and urban canyons present problems). Battery life, weather and heavy vegetation
are also problems regarding the effectiveness of the technology. Though monitoring might
have some deterrent effect, it cannot be relied on to prevent future sex crimes. The bottom
line is that offenders will reoffend if they are so inclined, regardless of an ankle bracelet. It is
not clear what constitutes a violation requiring local law enforcement to be contacted. The
GPS technology makes information available immediately, but local law enforcement is not
set up to respond 24 hours a day. Active electronic monitoring should be added as a tool
available for supervision, but community correction officers should be allowed to determine
whether it is appropriate. Enacting this bill would require additional staffing on the
community corrections side. Given the limitations of the technology, we don't want to create
a false sense of security.
Testimony For: (Appropriations) This measure came from an interim task force on sex offender management. The bill allows the Department of Corrections and judges to impose electronic monitoring. It will allow us to keep better track of sex offenders in our communities. Compared to the original bill, this bill does not impose mandates and allows for the most appropriate technology to be used for offenders.
Testimony Against: (Criminal Justice & Corrections) None.
Testimony Against: (Appropriations) None.
Persons Testifying: (Criminal Justice & Corrections) (In support of original bill)
Representative Lovick, prime sponsor; Representative Strow; and Suzanne Brown McBride,
Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs.
(Concerns on original bill) James McMahan, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police
Chiefs; and Lin Miller, Department of Corrections.
Persons Testifying: (Appropriations) Don Pierce and James McMahan, Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.