Plain English Breakdown
Checked against official source text during the last sync.
Changes to Sexually Violent Predator Referrals and Penalties for Attacks on Journalists
This law expands who must be evaluated as a sexually violent predator before release from prison and adds extra jail time for crimes targeting journalists.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the Executive Officer of the Board of Parole Hearings to refer people serving indeterminate sentences for evaluation if they may be sexually violent predators.
- Allows officials to start evaluations up to six months before a scheduled parole hearing instead of only near release dates.
- Creates new penalties that add one, two, or three years in prison for felonies committed against journalists because of their work.
- Defines a targeted attack as a crime motivated by the victim's status as a journalist or intended to interfere with them doing their job.
- Allows judges to remove the extra jail time if they find mitigating circumstances and explain those reasons on record.
Who It Names or Affects
- People in prison who may be classified as sexually violent predators
- Journalists or property belonging to journalists that are targeted by crimes
- The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Board of Parole Hearings, and county agencies
Terms To Know
- Sexually violent predator
- A person convicted of a sexual crime who has a mental disorder that makes them likely to commit more sexual violence.
- Indeterminate sentence
- A prison term with no fixed end date, where release depends on parole decisions rather than serving a set number of years.
- Targeted attack
- A crime done because the victim is a journalist or to stop them from doing their job as a reporter.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill states that no reimbursement is required for certain costs but does not explain the specific reason why.
- It is unclear how often courts will choose to strike the extra prison time based on mitigating circumstances.