Early Release Still Debated In WA State
If a new bill passes, criminals on probation in Washington State who are considered only moderately likely to re-offend will say goodbye to their corrections officer knowing they will have little or no supervision in the community.
Senate Bill 5288 is similar to one proposed by the governor. It would eliminate most supervision for people on probation who are classified as low or moderate risk to reoffend and is being considered by the state Senate as a cost-cutting measure … The bill states that the DOC must supervise any offender sentenced to community custody who is classified as high-risk violent or high-risk non-violent. Most low- and moderate-risk offenders will not be supervised, except for sex offenders who fail to register in their community. The DOC may terminate those sex offenders’ supervision after 12 months have passed without a violation of their sentence …
Eldon Vale, secretary of the DOC, said that because Washington is facing such a severe budget crisis, the DOC has to reduce its budget, too. “We have to either incarcerate less people or supervise less people, and by reducing the supervision of those offenders who score out at a low or moderate risk to reoffend, we’re cutting out caseload,” Vale said. “Does it present zero risk to the public? That’s not a question anyone can answer,” said Vale.
This is an excerpt from a longer piece that discusses offender assessment in detail.
Assessments and Classification, Early Release, Economic Issues, Washington