BILL REQ. #:  S-4388.2 

Read first time 01/17/08.   Referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

     AN ACT Relating to prohibiting patients at the special commitment center and less restrictive alternatives from having computer access; and amending RCW 71.09.080 and 71.09.092.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 71.09.080 and 1995 c 216 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Any person subjected to restricted liberty as a sexually violent predator pursuant to this chapter shall not forfeit any legal right or suffer any legal disability as a consequence of any actions taken or orders made, other than as specifically provided in this chapter.
     (2) Any person committed or detained pursuant to this chapter shall be prohibited from accessing a personal computer unless the patient's individualized treatment plan states that access to a computer is necessary to bring about a positive response to a specific and certain phase or course of treatment and that the licensed care provider determines and will be responsible to ensure that such access will enable adequate care to be provided.
     (3) Any person committed pursuant to this chapter has the right to adequate care and individualized treatment. The department of social and health services shall keep records detailing all medical, expert, and professional care and treatment received by a committed person, and shall keep copies of all reports of periodic examinations made pursuant to this chapter. All such records and reports shall be made available upon request only to: The committed person, his or her attorney, the prosecuting attorney, the court, the protection and advocacy agency, or another expert or professional person who, upon proper showing, demonstrates a need for access to such records.
     (((3))) (4) At the time a person is taken into custody or transferred into a facility pursuant to a petition under this chapter, the professional person in charge of such facility or his or her designee shall take reasonable precautions to inventory and safeguard the personal property of the persons detained or transferred. A copy of the inventory, signed by the staff member making it, shall be given to the person detained and shall, in addition, be open to inspection to any responsible relative, subject to limitations, if any, specifically imposed by the detained person. For purposes of this subsection, "responsible relative" includes the guardian, conservator, attorney, spouse, parent, adult child, or adult brother or sister of the person. The facility shall not disclose the contents of the inventory to any other person without consent of the patient or order of the court.
     (((4))) (5) Nothing in this chapter prohibits a person presently committed from exercising a right presently available to him or her for the purpose of obtaining release from confinement, including the right to petition for a writ of habeas corpus.
     (((5))) (6) No indigent person may be conditionally released or unconditionally discharged under this chapter without suitable clothing, and the secretary shall furnish the person with such sum of money as is required by RCW 72.02.100 for persons without ample funds who are released from correctional institutions. As funds are available, the secretary may provide payment to the indigent persons conditionally released pursuant to this chapter consistent with the optional provisions of RCW 72.02.100 and 72.02.110, and may adopt rules to do so.

Sec. 2   RCW 71.09.092 and 1995 c 216 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:
     Before the court may enter an order directing conditional release to a less restrictive alternative, it must find the following: (1) The person will be treated by a treatment provider who is qualified to provide such treatment in the state of Washington under chapter 18.155 RCW; (2) the treatment provider has presented a specific course of treatment and has agreed to assume responsibility for such treatment and will report progress to the court on a regular basis, and will report violations immediately to the court, the prosecutor, the supervising community corrections officer, and the superintendent of the special commitment center; (3) housing exists that is sufficiently secure to protect the community, and the person or agency providing housing to the conditionally released person has agreed in writing to accept the person, to provide the level of security required by the court, and immediately to report to the court, the prosecutor, the supervising community corrections officer, and the superintendent of the special commitment center if the person leaves the housing to which he or she has been assigned without authorization; (4) the person is willing to comply with the treatment provider and all requirements imposed by the treatment provider and by the court; and (5) the person is willing to comply with supervision requirements imposed by the department of corrections. Any person found eligible for conditional release to a less restrictive alternative shall be prohibited from accessing a personal computer and accessing the internet unless the patient's individualized treatment plan states that access to a computer is necessary to bring about a positive response to a specific and certain phase or course of treatment and that the licensed care provider determines and will be responsible for ensuring that such access will enable adequate care to be provided.