1. Washington State Three Strikes Law

2. Persistent Offenders RCW 9.94A.570
Notwithstanding the statutory maximum sentence or any other provision of this chapter, a persistent offender shall be sentenced to a term of total confinement for life without the possibility of release or, when authorized by RCW for the crime of aggravated murder in the first degree, sentenced to death. In addition, no offender subject to this section may be eligible for community custody, earned release time, furlough, home detention, partial confinement, work crew, work release, or any other form of release as defined under *RCW 9.94A.728 (1), (2), (3), (4), (6), (8), or (9), or any other form of authorized leave from a correctional facility while not in the direct custody of a corrections officer or officers, except: (1) In the case of an offender in need of emergency medical treatment; or (2) for the purpose of commitment to an inpatient treatment facility in the case of an offender convicted of the crime of rape in the first degree.

3. History of the Statute Initiative I-593 Passed in 1993
1993 crime was at a 60 year high
Nearly 50% of the criminals convicted in the state had prior criminal histories
75% voted yes

4. What is an Initiative?
The Washington State Constitution reserves to the people the right to approve or reject certain state laws through the process of initiative or referendum.
Any registered voter can create an initiative by gather the appropriate number of signatures.
Required number of signatures in ,372
Signatures must be validated.
Initiative is added to ballot for the next election
A registered voter, or group of voters, desiring to qualify an initiative or referendum for the ballot must gather signatures on petitions in order to do so.
Based on the number of votes cast for the office of Governor at the last regular state gubernatorial election, the number of signatures required for initiatives is: 246,372
Since a certain percentage of petition signatures are normally found to be invalid due to duplication and non registration, it is recommended that sponsors file as many signatures as possible.

5. What is a Strike? Second Degree Assault or Robbery
Taking of something by threat or use of force
All other violent felonies
17 crimes in total
Strikes prior to 1993 count against an offender.
1996 – “Two Strikes Law” for sexual crimes
2008 – added new crimes and included felonies from other states

6. Current State of Three Strikes
Similar laws have been enacted in 29 states.
As of March 2007, 292 individuals had been sentenced to life imprisonment under the three strikes provisions.
Of these 40.1% were black and 57.3% were white.
The most common third offense was Robbery 2 (23.3% of cases), followed by Robbery 1 (15.8%), and Assault 2 (8.2%)
Statistics from the Washington's Sentencing Guidelines Commission report on the Three Strikes Law from 2008.

7. Opinion Poll Activity Instructions:
I will place out 5 placards “Strongly Agree”, “Somewhat Agree”, “Undecided”, “Somewhat Disagree”, and “Strongly Disagree”.
I will read a question or statement.
Move to the placard that best represents your opinion.

8. Question 1
Someone convicted of 3 second degree robbery or assaults should be eligible to have their sentence reviewed.
Does it matter if 2 of the strikes were obtained prior to 1993?
Does it matter if all crimes were non-violent?

9. Current State of the Law
Currently there is no requirement to review the cases of 3 strike offenders.
The only way to review the sentence is by the clemency board who can recommend the Governor grant clemency.
The King County Prosecutor, Dan Satterberg, ordered a review of the first 20 three strike convictions.
However the Prosecutor does not have the ability to change the sentences.

10. Question 2
The sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 27 year old convicted of 2nd degree robbery or assault for the 3rd time should be considered “cruel and unusual punishment.”

11. 3 Strikes and the 8th Amendment
8th Amendment States:
“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
The punishment must match the crime.
Supreme Court Cases:
Ewing v. California, 538 U.S. 11 (2003), and Lockyer v. Andrade, 538 U.S. 63 (2003)
The Court held that the life sentences imposed under the law are not so grossly disproportionate to the criminal history of a career offender as to violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

12. Question 3
The three strikes law makes society safer and is an effective tool to combat crime.

13. What is being done now? Prosecutorial Discretion and Plea Bargains
In a study of cases from 2003 through 2007, the King County Office of Public Defense found that 92% of defendants initially charged with a third strike offense ultimately received a sentence less severe than life without the possibility of parole.
Clemency Board
In December 2008, the state's clemency board held its first hearing on a prisoner held under the three strikes law.
Pardon from the Governor
Pardoning prisoners is not something incoming governors think about much. There is little political gain in it and much risk. The result is a system of clemency that can be unfair to prisoners and, says Satterberg, “in some ways is unfair to the governor.”

14. Current Pending Reform Efforts

15. Questions?