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Committee hears debate over counting foreign convictions in sentencing scores
Summary
SB 6203 would allow courts to count foreign convictions for offender-scoring purposes if convictions were obtained with sufficient due-process safeguards. Prosecutors largely supported clarification; defense groups and the Sentencing Guidelines Commission warned the standard is vague, costly to litigate and could risk unequal application.
The Law & Justice Committee considered SB 6203 Feb. 2, a bill aimed at clarifying whether convictions obtained in foreign countries may be included in offender-score calculations under the Sentencing Reform Act.
Ryan Giannini (staff) reviewed the background: under the SRA judges calculate the standard range by offender score and seriousness level; the Washington Supreme Court in State v. Lewis (07/17/2025) found the SRA ambiguous about whether 'out-of-state' convictions include foreign…
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