Once bills are passed, the logistics of making them happen take place in agencies and within various work groups and committees. Legislators are often given a seat at the table and there's usually a slight frenzy of appointments just after the legislative session ends.
Poulsbo Rep. Sherry Appleton has been tapped for a second three-year term on the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission (SGC). This little Commission actually has quite a big task - they're the ones who recommend sentencing guidelines for adult and juvenile offenders.
For SGC history buffs, a brief history:
In 1981, the Washington State Legislature enacted the Sentencing Reform Act ("SRA"), which established the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and directed it to recommend to the Legislature a determinate sentencing system for adult felonies...And for serious SGC fans, you can attend their meetings yourself, the second Friday of each month.
The Commission completed the original adult felony sentencing "grid" in 1982, and the Legislature enacted it into law in 1983... The Commission continues to advise the Legislature on necessary adjustments to the sentencing structure.
Prior to 1984, sentences imposed for adult felonies in Washington were indeterminate. Courts had wide discretion over whether or not to impose a prison sentence and the length of any sentence... Indeterminate sentencing is still in effect for more than 750 prison inmates who committed crimes before July 1, 1984...
The Legislature has amended the Sentencing Reform Act in almost every legislative session, requiring longer periods of confinement for violent offenders, sex offenders and drug offenders. Statewide citizen initiatives have also resulted in the imposition of longer prison terms, including longer sentences for armed crime and also the nation’s first "three strikes and you’re out" measure. Where average prison terms have increased markedly in length, the state’s prison population has more than doubled since 1984.
