If Washington decides that a law is unjust going forward, it must apply to those already impacted.
Last year, Washington passed EHB 1324, which recognized that the use of juvenile points (a historically racist and flawed system for determining sentencing length) resulted in unjust sentences and did not improve public safety. It acknowledged that people convicted in their youth are less culpable for their actions and should have meaningful opportunities for release without being punished twice for crimes committed as children.
However, the bill only applies to future sentences. This decision left hundreds of individuals behind, failing to address the significant historic disproportionalities created by juvenile points.
Sign in PRO on HB 2065 by 12:30 p.m. on Monday, January 22, and tell Washington lawmakers it is time to correct past harms.
It is fundamentally unfair to require people to serve vastly different sentences for the same offense, and retroactive reform ensures that the changes we make to our criminal justice system benefit the people most impacted by it.
HB 2065 would make this legislation retroactive, align the judicial system with established modern brain science, advance racial justice, and promote fairness in sentencing.
We can't leave behind those who had the misfortune of receiving their sentences before the policy was changed. We need to provide relief to the hundreds of people who received overly harsh sentences under the old guidelines.
Take action now – tell lawmakers to correct past systemic harms in sentencing.
*Instructions on how to show your support and sign in pro:
- Click on this link
- Pick the position "Pro."
