Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Community Safety Committee
HB 1111
Brief Description: Concerning the indeterminate sentence review board.
Sponsors: Representatives Farivar, Hackney, Goodman, Simmons, Macri, Scott, Fosse, Taylor, Street, Cortes, Mena, Stearns, Parshley, Peterson, Pollet, Ramel, Reed, Obras, Ormsby, Bergquist, Salahuddin and Hill.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Authorizes a person convicted of one or more offenses committed prior to age 18 to petition the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) for early release after reaching age 24, regardless of the amount of time the person has served in confinement, subject to meeting other modified eligibility criteria.
  • Authorizes the Department of Corrections to provide rental vouchers to certain persons who successfully petition the ISRB for early release.
Hearing Date: 1/20/25
Staff: Michelle Rusk (786-7153).
Background:

Petitions for Early Release.

The Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) is a quasi-judicial board within the Department of Corrections (DOC) with jurisdiction over persons convicted prior to 1984, persons convicted of certain sex offenses committed on or after September 1, 2001, and persons convicted of one or more offenses committed prior to age 18 and sentenced as adults.

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A person who is convicted of one or more offenses committed prior to age 18 may petition the ISRB for early release if the person meets the following criteria:

  • the person has served no less than 20 years of total confinement;
  • the person has not been convicted of any crime committed subsequent to the person's eighteenth birthday;?
  • the person has not committed a disqualifying serious infraction as defined by the DOC in the 12 months prior to filing the petition; and
  • the person's current sentence is not for Aggravated Murder in the first degree or certain sex offenses.?

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When deciding whether to grant a petition for early release, the ISRB must determine by a preponderance of the evidence whether the person is more likely than not to commit a new crime. ?If the ISRB grants the petition and releases the person on supervision, the person must comply with all release conditions imposed by the court when the person was sentenced and any further conditions imposed by the ISRB. ?If the person fails to follow those conditions, the ISRB may revoke release or impose new conditions.? If the ISRB denies the petition for early release, the person may file a new petition five years from the date of denial or at an earlier date as determined by the ISRB.?
Summary of Bill:

Petitions for Early Release.

Eligibility.??The criteria that?a person convicted of one or more crimes committed prior to age 18 must meet before becoming eligible to?petition the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) for early release are modified:

  • the person must be?24 years old or older, which replaces the requirement that a person must have served no less than 20 years of total confinement;?
  • the person must not have been convicted of any crime committed in the 12 months prior to filing the early release petition, which replaces the requirement that a person must not have been?convicted of any crime committed after the person's eighteenth birthday; and
  • the person must not have committed a disqualifying serious infraction as defined by the Department of Children, Youth, and Family (DCYF), which is in addition to not committing any disqualifying serious infractions as defined by the Department of Corrections (DOC).

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Until July 1, 2035, the ISRB may not annually act on or review more than 70 petitions from individuals made eligible under the foregoing revised eligibility criteria.? Petitions must be prioritized in the following descending order with the highest priority given to:

  • petitioners under the age of 25 and in DCYF custody; and
  • petitioners in DOC custody who most recently transferred from DCYF custody to DOC custody.?

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Department of Corrections Rental Vouchers.??The DOC is authorized to provide rental vouchers to a person who successfully petitions the ISRB for early release if rental assistance will allow the petitioner to safely release. ?The DOC must maintain a list of housing providers that meet certain statutory requirements. ?If more than two rental voucher recipients will be residing per dwelling unit, rental vouchers for those recipients may only be paid to a housing provider on the DOC's list.? The DOC must gather data about each rental voucher recipient as recommended by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy?in order to best demonstrate whether rental vouchers are effective in reducing recidivism.?
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 14, 2025.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.