Opinion ID: 2534191
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: legal comparability

Text: ¶ 11 To determine if a foreign crime is comparable to a Washington offense, the sentencing court must first look to the elements of the crime. Morley, 134 Wash.2d at 605-06, 952 P.2d 167. More specifically, the elements of the out of state crime must be compared to the elements of a Washington criminal statute in effect when the foreign crime was committed. Id. at 606, 952 P.2d 167. If the elements of the foreign conviction are comparable to the elements of a Washington strike offense on their face, the foreign crime counts toward the offender score as if it were the comparable Washington offense. Id. ¶ 12 The crime of federal bank robbery is a general intent crime. Carter, 530 U.S. 255, 120 S.Ct. 2159, 147 L.Ed.2d 203. The crime of second degree robbery in Washington, however, requires specific intent to steal as an essential, nonstatutory element. See State v. Kjorsvik, 117 Wash.2d 93, 98, 812 P.2d 86 (1991) (our settled case law is clear that `intent to steal' is an essential element of the crime of robbery.) (citing State v. Hicks, 102 Wash.2d 182, 184, 683 P.2d 186 (1984)). Its definition is therefore narrower than the federal crime's definition. Thus, a person could be convicted of federal bank robbery without having been guilty of second degree robbery in Washington. Among the defenses that have been recognized by Washington courts in robbery cases which may not be available to a general intent crime are (1) intoxication, see State v. Boyd, 21 Wash.App. 465, 586 P.2d 878 (1978); (2) diminished capacity, see State v. Thamert, 45 Wash.App. 143, 723 P.2d 1204 (1986); (3) duress, see State v. Davis, 27 Wash.App. 498, 618 P.2d 1034 (1980); (4) insanity, see State v. Tyler, 77 Wash.2d 726, 466 P.2d 120 (1970), vacated in part on other grounds, 408 U.S. 937, 92 S.Ct. 2865, 33 L.Ed.2d 756 (1972); and (5) claim of right, see Hicks, 102 Wash.2d 182, 683 P.2d 186. Because the elements of federal bank robbery and robbery under Washington's criminal statutes are not substantially similar, we conclude that federal bank robbery and second degree robbery in Washington are not legally comparable.