Opinion ID: 518484
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Gravity of the offense and harshness of the penalty

Text: 34 The first factor to consider under Solem is the gravity of the offense and the harshness of the penalty. In Solem, the petitioner was convicted of uttering a no account check for $100, which offense normally carried five years imprisonment. Solem, 463 U.S. at 281, 103 S.Ct. at 3005. Alford's offense is comparatively more serious. He was convicted for possession of stolen property under R.C.W. 9A.56.150 (West 1988). That statute provides that the offense is in the first degree, and thus a B felony, when the value of the property exceeds $1,500. The property found in Alford's possession was worth $17,000, or more than ten times the minimum threshold. The offense was punishable at the time of the offense by not more than ten years, by a fine of not more than $20,000, or both. R.C.W. 9A.20.020 (West 1988). 9 35 The gravity of the habitual criminal sentence, and the harshness of its penalty, is gauged by reference to the felonies that support the habitual criminal finding. Solem, at 296-97, 103 S.Ct. at 3012-13. In Solem, life imprisonment was excessive punishment considering the non-violent nature of the petitioner's prior offenses, and the fact that the petitioner would never be eligible for parole. Id. at 297, 103 S.Ct. 3013. Alford's prior UCSA convictions were also non-violent, but Alford's punishment is considerably less severe. Alford could become eligible for parole after six years of confinement, at the discretion of the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board, or after fifteen years, under R.C.W. 9.95.040. We therefore cannot say that the punishment here was excessively harsh relative to the gravity of Alford's offenses. 36