March 30, 2009

Bad bill would end supervision of many high-risk offenders
By Rep. Kirk Pearson

Just like the difficult financial decisions families are making this year, tough budget choices must be made at the state level. Balancing the budget in this economy means fun-ding the basics first, which must include public safety.
 
As the Republican leader on public safety matters, I will strongly oppose any measure that balances the budget using a “get-soft” approach on the monitoring and release of dangerous criminals. One such proposal I hope legislators will help me fix or stop is Senate Bill 5288.

The bill would make changes I believe would be nearly fatal to our state’s offender supervision laws. SB 5288 would eliminate corrections supervision of all convicted misdemeanants and gross misdemeanants. Sounds harmless enough, right? Well, the reality is some misdemeanants who will be unsupervised under this measure have been assessed by law enforcement and corrections personnel as “high-risk” violent offenders.

Research from the Washington Institute of Public Policy shows that, using the newest offender risk assessment tool, those misdemeanants considered “highly violent” have a recidivism rate of 54 percent. These unmonitored offenders are more likely than not to victimize another person or, in the case of domestic violence offenders, the same victim. Under the Senate’s proposal, they will no longer be supervised upon release from custody.

Misdemeanant domestic violence offenders, who have a recidivism rate of 51 percent, also will not be supervised upon release from behind bars under SB 5288. These abusers are more likely to reoffend than those convicted of a felony. Likewise, high-risk offenders convicted of drug and property crimes have a greater likelihood of reoffending than their lower-risk felon counterparts.

SB 5288 leads families to believe these criminals are not a danger to their communities, even though they are a major concern for law enforcement. Currently, 2,500 misdemeanant offenders fall into the highest risk categories and, under this measure, would be completely unsupervised by community corrections officers and law enforcement upon release despite the high risk they pose to reoffend. In reality, even sex offenders could be included in this bill if they plea-bargained and were convicted of a lesser charge.

Supporters of this bill sell it as a small step that will not endanger citizens, but it could be a deadly gamble. I am particularly concerned that dangerous domestic abusers will re-victimize a spouse, children or other household members. These criminals often have keys to the homes of their victims or know how to gain access to them through friends or family, making them extremely dangerous. Bill supporters are not telling this side of the story.

Proponents will also try to make the case that millions of dollars will be saved if the measure is passed. Saving money is great but not on the backs of victims. The protections for citizens should not be a casualty of the budget.

In addition to cutting offender monitoring, some in the Legislature are proposing cutting about 300 community correction officers. I strongly oppose this effort. These workers are the front-line community protection that make sure ex-cons are following the rules and not endangering innocent people.

Citizens entrust us with their safety, and we need to take that very seriously, no matter the state of the economy. If public safety and protections are not at or near the top of the budget writers’ priority list, what is?

I will advocate for a budget that prioritizes spending on the core functions of government – education, safety-net programs for our most vulnerable citizens and public safety. We can take care of families in every sense without putting more dangerous ex-cons on the streets that are not required to answer to anybody.

Saving money by cutting supervision of high-risk, violent offenders is not the solution to our $8.5 billion shortfall. We can and should do better for the citizens of this state who expect safe neighborhoods and schools and entrust us to put their safety first in the budget.

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For more information, contact: Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7252