Victim and Witness Notification Program. The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) must send written notice of parole, release, community custody, work release placement, furlough, or escape to certain persons. Except for escape and emergency furloughs, such notice must be provided at least 30 days in advance. This notice requirement applies to incarcerated individuals convicted of a violent offense, a sex offense, a domestic violence court order violation, or felony harassment. The list of persons to whom the notice must be sent includes:
Information regarding victims, next of kin, witnesses, or person specified by the prosecuting attorney and the notice itself are confidential. Whenever DOC mails notice and the notice is returned as undeliverable, DOC must attempt alternative methods of notification, including a telephone call to the person's last known telephone number. DOC must also provide immediate notification if there has been an escape, and notification if the person has been recaptured.
Victims Council. Through DOC internal policy, DOC maintains a victims council to address issues relevant to protecting the safety of victims and survivors. The council meets quarterly and, by majority vote of its members, makes recommendations to the DOC secretary on existing or proposed programs and practices as they affect crime victims and proposes changes to statutes, administrative rules, or DOC policy. The council consists of one victim or survivor not representing an agency or organization, and representatives from community, state, and local agencies and organizations that support the broad needs of victims and survivors, represent different crime categories, and represent diverse ethnic backgrounds and broad geographic areas, both rural and urban. DOC victim services program employees provide support staff for the council.
DOC's victim and witness notification program is expanded to include notification regarding incarcerated individuals convicted of domestic violence, assault in the third degree, unlawful imprisonment, vehicular homicide by disregard for the safety of others, or controlled substance homicide.
The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: The victim notification piece of this bill is common sense reform, and a simply tweak to DOC notification procedures. The second piece is creating a process to protect those victims who are at extreme risk and extreme poverty, who may be afraid to go to court to testify, even with a protection order. A protection order is just a piece of paper and does not protect victims.
OTHER: This bill expands crimes eligible for DOC notification to victims and witnesses. Adding controlled substance homicide and vehicular homicide will create consistency so all the homicides are eligible for notification. Adding domestic violence offenses recognizes that these crimes carry the greatest risk of recidivism and often are the result of a long history of abuse. Adding assault in the third degree and unlawful imprisonment ensures that the actual behavior and impact on victims is reflected in notification requirements even when more serious offenses have been pled down. These expansions are necessary to ensure victims feel safe and have adequate time to pursue protection orders and other safety precautions.
None.