Brief Description: Including assault of a child in the second degree in the list of two-strike offenses.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Hargrove, Stevens, Doumit, McAuliffe, Regala, Rasmussen, Benton and Oke; by request of Attorney General).

Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections
House Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections

Background: Assault of a child in the second degree. Assault of a child in the second degree, a class B felony, occurs when a person 18 years old or older either: (1) commits the crime of assault in the second degree, as defined elsewhere in statute, against a child under the age of 13; or (2) intentionally assaults the child and causes serious bodily harm and the person has previously engaged in a pattern or practice either of: (a) assaulting the child, causing serious bodily harm; or (b) causing physical pain equivalent to that produced by torture.

To commit a crime with sexual motivation means that a crime was committed, at least in part, for a person's sexual gratification.

Persistent offenders: Washington's two-strikes law. A person convicted of two of the crimes listed in the two-strikes law must be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release.

Summary: Assault of a child in the second degree with sexual motivation is added to the list of two-strikes crimes and to the list of crimes subject to determinate-plus sentencing.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      44   4
House      98   0

Effective:   June 7, 2006 (Section 2)
         July 1, 2006