Sen. Kline, along with King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg and Stevan Dozier, the only person sentenced under the law to be granted clemency by Gov. Gregoire, made their case for the passage of Senate Bill 5236.

Kline, Satterberg and Dozier held a news conference shortly before the bill was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee, telling the press that the bill gives a specific group of offenders a new opportunity to lead productive lives.

Under Kline’s proposal, the three -strikes sentence for individuals who have been convicted of only Class B felonies – primarily Robbery 2 and Assault 2 – would be reduced to 15 years to Life. After serving 15 years of “hard time” (no reduction for good behavior), those individuals would be eligible to apply for parole with the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board. Any parole granted would be conditional on adherence to a closely-monitored behavior plan. Three-strikers convicted of any crime with a deadly weapon or with sexual motivation would not be eligible to apply for parole.

“This allows us to distinguish between the least of the worst and the worst of the worst,” said Satterberg. “It brings a little fairness to our system.”

In 1993, Washington became the first state in the nation to pass a three-strikes law. Voters approved Initiative 593, assuming it would keep only the most violent people in Washington state behind bars forever. But the law has not been effective and has cost the state millions of dollars in corrections costs. The most common conviction triggering three- strikes punishment isn’t a violent offense but Robbery 2, a Class B Felony.

Sen. Kline’s proposal would affect 16-20 offenders.

Photo: Stevan Dozier at podium

Photo: Dan Satterberg and Stevan Dozier