It seems like legislative Democrats are always coming up with reasons for wanting to let people out of prison sooner.
One of the latest examples is Senate Bill 5266, which is on deck for a vote by the full Senate as I write this.
This bill would offer a chance at early release to people convicted of serious offenses they committed prior to age 18.
Someone convicted of three or more murders wouldn’t be eligible, but what about one or two murders? Yes, they would be eligible, as long as it wasn’t aggravated first-degree murder. Apparently, that makes sense to the Democrats, even if it doesn’t to anyone else.
Once these offenders turn 24 and meet a few other conditions, they would be allowed to petition for early release. That, according to the bill sponsors, would create greater incentives for rehabilitation, and successful rehabilitation would mean less chance of reoffending.
Earlier this session we saw a Democrat bill that tried to sell shorter prison sentences as a way to reduce state spending. It went nowhere, fortunately, but SB 5266 is similar in that it would have us believe early release equals safer communities.
What reason will they come up with next for letting people out of custody?
Hold that thought for a moment while we shift to one of the biggest public-safety issues in our state: the shortage of law-enforcement officers.
For years, Washington has ranked dead last in the nation, behind even the District of Columbia, when it comes to the ratio of law-enforcement officers to residents.
Then came the 2021 legislative session and the Democrats’ adoption of reactionary policies with an anti-police tone.
Those included the law restricting police pursuits, which was a gift to car thieves in particular – until Initiative 2113 repealed it last year.
There also were new laws that hindered the ability of officers to use certain tactics and equipment, made it easier to decertify officers, and allowed the governor’s office to begin conducting its own investigations when officers used deadly force.
On top of all that, 2021 brought an expansion of a “graduated reentry” program started a few years earlier. It allows for leaving prison early and moving to partial home confinement and electronic monitoring. Around 430 offenders have taken advantage of the program, which is equal to emptying half of the state prison at Clallam Bay.
In 2022, as law-enforcement agencies were struggling to address the exodus of officers, Senate Republicans responded with legislation that would have helped with funding. That bill made it through the Senate Law and Justice Committee twice but died both times in the budget committee.
The funding bill is back this year, and its outlook is brighter than ever after a very visible endorsement from Gov. Bob Ferguson helped convince Democrats to finally move the bill through the budget committee.
SB 5060 would set up a $100 million grant program to help with officer hiring. It also is on deck for a vote by the full Senate.
Still, no one wants a job that exposes them to feeling underappreciated, or villainized, even if the salary and benefits are good.
That gets us back to bills like the one that would let juvenile murderers seek an early release, and how they work against efforts to rebuild the state’s law-enforcement ranks.
How demoralizing is it for officers in our state to see all these soft-on-crime bills – to realize that the people who make our laws include many who might be worried more about the criminal than the victim?
Who would want to take a law-enforcement job in a state where some leaders seem willing to sacrifice public safety for what they perceive as social justice?
Along with proper compensation, there needs to be a shift in the culture. Republicans shouldn’t be alone in viewing law enforcement as a profession deserving of respect.
Legislators can’t do much to force such a shift — but it sure would help to stop being so soft on criminals. Specifically, that means stop passing bills that hinder or prevent prosecution, limit penalties, and let criminals get out of custody early.
In addition to SB 5266, the early-release bill I mentioned up front, there are three more demoralizing Senate bills still in play as we move into the second half of the 2025 legislative session.
One would let criminals out of prison and into partial-confinement programs six months earlier than the law now allows. Senate Bill 5219 left the Senate on a party-line vote in late February and is awaiting consideration in the House.
Under Senate Bill 5133, being someone’s primary caregiver can allow them to receive a shorter sentence – and prosecutors would be cut out of decisions about certain drug cases by SB 5290.
Fortunately, we’ve been able to stop some of the anti-police or pro-criminal bills.
One was SB 5312, which would have gone easier on sex predators. Another was SB 5269, the bill that tried to promote shorter sentences as a cost-saving measure.
Also failing were two Senate bills reminiscent of 2021’s executive overreaching. They would have allowed the governor’s office and the attorney general’s office to meddle in situations that rightfully should be handled at the county or city level.
We would have fought these bills on the Senate floor if necessary, but it’s better that they died before now. There are plenty of battles to have against other wrong-headed Democratic bills.
The majority of the pro-criminal bills still alive in the House are aimed at the sentencing end of the justice system. Let’s see if any make it over to the Senate – such as HB 1178, which would soften the penalty for using a firearm in the commission of certain crimes.
A weaker penalty also weakens the deterrent effect, so keep that bill in mind next time a Democrat talks about reducing “gun violence.” (Ironically, other bills being considered this year would make it harder for law-abiding citizens to purchase firearms.)
A bill that likely would have been welcomed by law enforcement and was deserving of House consideration was HB 1536. It would have increased the penalty for juveniles with guns, but despite being filed by a Democrat, it died without even a public hearing.
By now, you get the picture. The amount of legislation that would demoralize officers greatly outweighs the amount of legislation that would make our state attractive to someone wanting a career in law enforcement.
For some reason our Democratic colleagues can’t seem to see that — and it’s not making our state better.
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Sen. John Braun of Centralia serves the 20th Legislative District, which spans parts of four counties from Yelm to Vancouver. He became Senate Republican leader in 2020.
