OLYMPIA – On a 38-8 vote, Senate Bill 5288, sponsored by Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, passed the Senate today. The bill will restructure the offender monitoring programs across the state, and save taxpayers more than $38.6 million over the next two years.
“We won’t jeopardize public safety in the name of budget savings. This bill provides opportunities to keep prevention-based efforts alive, while keeping public safety intact,” said Hargrove.
With data showing that supervising the class of offenders with the lowest risk to reoffend doesn’t increase community safety and it doesn’t detect crime, SB 5288 will save the taxpayers’ money as well as maintain safety levels in communities across Washington by reprioritizing the way DOC monitors low-risk offenders.
“In the past several years, we’ve seen the success of prevention efforts in reducing crime and saving us trauma and money. We must not see those efforts wasted now, because we’ll be right back where we started in a very short time,” said Hargrove. “The bill will better focus DOC’s supervision efforts on higher risk offenders added flexibility in supervision of low risk offenders, so we can always be operating in the most efficient manner and ensuring public safety.”
Following today’s vote, SB 5288 now moves to the House for consideration at the committee level, and then a vote on the floor.
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For more information: Chase Gallagher, 360-786-7326
For interviews: Sen. Jim Hargrove, 360-786-7646