Opinion ID: 2600184
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The 2002 SRA Amendments

Text: During the 2002 regular session, the legislature enacted amendments to the SRA in response to this court's decisions in Cruz, 139 Wash.2d at 193, 985 P.2d 384 and Smith, 144 Wash.2d at 672-74, 30 P.3d 1245. Laws of 2002, ch. 107, § 1. The amendments' Finding states: The legislature considers the majority opinions in State v. Cruz, 139 Wash.2d 186, 985 P.2d 384 (1999) and State v. Smith , Cause No. 70683-2 [144 Wash.2d 665, 30 P.3d 1245] (September 6, 2001), to be wrongly decided, since neither properly interpreted legislative intent. When the legislature enacted the sentencing reform act, chapter 9.94A RCW, and each time the legislature has amended the act, the legislature intended that an offender's criminal history and offender score be determined using the statutory provisions that were in effect on the day the current offense was committed. Although certain prior convictions previously were not counted in the offender score or included in the criminal history pursuant to former versions of RCW 9.94A.525, or RCW 9.94A.030, those prior convictions need not be revived because they were never vacated. As noted in the minority opinions in Cruz and Smith, such application of the law does not involve retroactive application or violate ex postfacto prohibitions. Additionally, the Washington state supreme court has repeatedly held in the past that the provisions of the sentencing reform act act upon and punish only current conduct; the sentencing reform act does not act upon or alter the punishment for prior convictions. See In re Personal Restraint Petition of Williams, 111 Wash.2d 353, [759 P.2d 436] (1988). The legislature has never intended to create in an offender a vested right with respect to whether a prior conviction is excluded when calculating an offender score or with respect to how a prior conviction is counted in the offender score for a current offense. Laws of 2002, ch. 107, § 1. The amendments go on to clarify the definition of criminal history under the SRA: Criminal history means the list of a defendant's prior convictions and juvenile adjudications, whether in this state, in federal court, or elsewhere. (a) The history shall include, where known, for each conviction (i) whether the defendant has been placed on probation and the length and terms thereof; and (ii) whether the defendant has been incarcerated and the length of incarceration. (b) A conviction may be removed from a defendant's criminal history only if it is vacated pursuant to RCW 9.96.060, 9.94A.640, 9.95.240, or a similar out-of-state statute, or if the conviction has been vacated pursuant to a governor's pardon. (c) The determination of a defendant's criminal history is distinct from the determination of an offender score. A prior conviction that was not included in an offender score calculated pursuant to a former version of the sentencing reform act remains part of the defendant's criminal history. Laws of 2002, ch. 107, § 2(13) (emphasis added). Additionally, the amendments provide that: The fact that a prior conviction was not included in an offender's offender score or criminal history at a previous sentencing shall have no bearing on whether it is included in the criminal history or offender score for the current offense. Accordingly, prior convictions that were not counted in the offender score or included in criminal history under repealed or previous versions of the sentencing reform act shall be included in criminal history and shall count in the offender score if the current version of the sentencing reform act requires including or counting those convictions. Laws of 2002, ch. 107, § 3(18) (emphasis added). Lastly, the legislature stated that the 2002 SRA amendments apply only to current offenses committed on or after the effective date of this act. No offender who committed his or her current offense prior to the effective date of this act may be subject to resentencing as a result of this act. Laws of 2002, ch. 107, § 4. The amendments went into effect on June 13, 2002. RCW 9.94A.525, .030.