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Ross says release of felons is strike two against
Corrections
Legislature deserves explanation, lawmaker says
Rep.
Charles Ross is appalled that the state Department of
Corrections has chosen to free dozens of felons due to overcrowding at
two King County jails less than a month after he and other lawmakers
publicly criticized the poor supervision of felons already out in the
community.
"We already know the DOC
isn't doing a good job of supervising the thousands of felons finishing
their sentences outside prison -- that's strike one. If it's true that
DOC allowed the release of 83 felons back into the community rather than
find beds for them, that's strike two, and the governor and her
secretary of Corrections owe the people even more answers than before,"
said Ross, R-Naches, who serves on the
House Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Ross repeated the call he
made earlier this month for a joint hearing involving the secretary of
the Department of Corrections, the governor and the House and Senate
committees on public safety. In the meantime, Democrats ought to
seriously consider Republican legislation that would put more teeth into
felon supervision, he said.
"On behalf of the people
we represent, I'd like to hear Corrections explain what's gone wrong and
how it intends to put more priority on public safety," Ross said. "And
the Democrats have let nearly three weeks go by without any sort of
action on
House Bill 2084,
the Families Before Felons bill I'm co-sponsoring. What are their
priorities if not public safety?"
HB 2084 would put a freeze on releasing felons
early. Violations of release by current felons on
supervised parole will result in them being sent back to prison to
finish their full sentence. Also, the Department of Corrections would be
required to submit a plan on what it would take to effectively manage
the supervision of felons serving their terms outside of prison.
Ross, serving his first
term from the 14th Legislative District, is prime sponsor or co-sponsor
of 20 public safety bills. They include legislation that would crack
down on criminal gangs and strengthen the law against eluding a law
enforcement officer, and a measure that would make public safety the
number-one constitutional duty of state government. One of his bills,
the anti-stalking
House Bill 2170, has received committee approval and is in line for
a House vote.
"I promised my
constituents that I will do all I can here in Olympia to make our
communities safer places to live, and the legislation I'm supporting
reflects that," he said.
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