Washblog

• Resolution to Reform Washington's 3-Strikes Law
  This sample resolution can be adapted to your preference for introduction at the 2/9/08 precinct caucuses -- or at any other organizational venue for resolutions.
• WA Democratic Party Rules for Resolutions
• Nifty flow chart from WA Democratic Party showing how resolutions move from precinct caucuses to the county, state, and national conventions.
• Previous Washblog story on the caucus/convention cycle.
• Guest post from WA State Reformatory: These crimes do not merit life imprisonment, by Stevan Dozier.
• Resolutions and Precinct Caucuses (on election reform), Karen Backman, Washblog, 1/1/08

One of the two major activities of the Democratic precinct caucuses coming up on February 9th is the submittal of resolutions that will be considered at the county and state conventions.A few resolutions will make it to the national convention.

Any person participating in the caucuses can bring a resolution and submit it at their precinct caucuses for consideration at the county and LD conventions. I believe this is a matter of simply providing a copy of the resolution to the organizers of the caucus, who will then pass it on to the next stage. It's a good idea to bring extra copies of your proposed resolution to give to others at the caucuses for their consideration. Many people who attend the precinct caucuses go on as delegates to the next stage. Those delegates can support resolutions as they participate in the ongoing process that culminates in the national convention.

Additions and corrections to this explanation I'm offering here are welcomed.

RESOLUTION: REFORMING WASHINGTON'S "3-STRIKES" LAW
PDF of the Resolution available here

Whereas:  RCW 9.94A.010 requires that punishment for crimes be proportionate to the seriousness of the crimes and commensurate with punishment provided for similar crimes;

Whereas: Initiative 593, approved in 1993, states: “Punishments for criminal offenses should be proportionate to both the seriousness of the crime and the prior criminal history. By sentencing three-time most serious offenders to prison for life without the possibility of parole, the people intend to: improve public safety by placing the most dangerous criminals in prison.”

Whereas:  RCW 9.94A, which enacts the reforms called for under Initiative 593 and is often referred to as the “3-Strikes” law, includes Robbery 2 and Assault 2 on the list of “most serious offenses” that trigger life imprisonment;

Whereas: Washington's Sentencing Guidelines Commission (The Commission), the state agency charged with evaluating sentencing policies and recommending modifications to the Governor and Legislature, recommended to the Legislature 2001 that it remove Robbery 2, and consider removing some forms of Assault 2, from the list of offenses triggering life imprisonment under 3-Strikes, noting that the range of behaviors associated with Robbery 2 and some instances of Assault 2 do not rise to the level of “most serious” offenses and that, specifically, in the case of Robbery 2, these behaviors pose “little risk of physical injury”;

Whereas: Life imprisonment for crimes that are not “most serious” violates the proportionality requirements of RCW 9.94A.010 and I-593, violates the intent in I-593 to address the “most dangerous” criminals, is unjust to individuals serving life sentences for these crimes and to their families, causes significant unnecessary expense, and reduces respect for the law;

Whereas: Each year, bills to comply with the recommendations of The Commission are introduced in the state legislature without success;

Whereas:  Racial disparity exists throughout Washington State’s criminal justice system but is perhaps at its most severe in the 3-Strikes population which comprises 45% African Americans in comparison to our state population which is 3.5% African American.

Whereas: The 2006 Washington State Democratic Party platform declares the following: “We also recognize that in the pursuit of civil order, we cannot abandon the legal principles upon which a free and democratic society relies. We … believe that criminal justice and human rights are linked.”

Therefore Be it Resolved: That we call upon Washington’s governor and each of our state’s legislators to vigorously support and defend legislation that removes Robbery 2 and any Assault 2 or other offenses not reasonably qualifying as “most dangerous” and “most serious” from the list of offenses that trigger life imprisonment under 3-Strikes;

Furthermore be it Resolved: That we call on Washington’s governor and each of our state’s legislators to acknowledge and address the racial disparity in our criminal justice system which manifests in perhaps its most extreme form among those incarcerated under Washington’s 3-Strikes law, and to act with due haste to eliminate this disparity.

[PERSON’S NAME] – [PRECINCT NAME] Caucus Chair -- Date Submitted – 2/9/08

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For further info or to request notification of key times to contact legislators: Noemie (at) washblog (dot) com

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REFERENCES

1. RCW 9.94A.010
2. Sentencing Guidelines Commission Older Publications page (includes link to 2001 recommendations for reform of the 3-Strikes law).
3. RCW 9.94A.030 (29): Definition of "Most Serious Offenses"
4. Senate
   Bill 5964: Excluding offenders who have committed only the crimes of assault 2 and robbery 2 from the definition of persistent offender
5. Senate Bill 5349: Removing robbery 2 from the list of most serious offenses.
6. Text of Initiative 593
7. RCW 94.36.021, Definition of Assault in the second degree
8. RCW 9A.56.210: Robbery 2 and RCW 9A.56.190: Robbery