The Judicial Discretion Act
HB 1125 (Simmons) / SB 5269 (Frame)
Call to Action
The House Appropriations Committee will hear testimony Saturday, February 22 on HB1125 (Simmons), which would allow judges to reduce peoples’ long sentences if their ongoing incarceration no longer serves the public good. The Judicial Discretion Act (JDA) will reduce racial disparities, reduce the harms of long-term imprisonment, increase public safety, better serve survivors, and use state resources more effectively.
Since it passed out of the Safety Committee, the Judicial Second Look Board has agreed to modify the bill — significantly reducing the cost in the “fiscal note.”
Click on the link to learn how to sign in “Pro” by 8am on Saturday, February 22, and then tell a friend: https://docs.google.com/document/d/122dyZbINwLGYO2iKUHim_lVQTt2C9ApuSFEbHGxApq8/edit?tab=t.0
The Judicial Discretion Act will allow judges to reduce peoples’ long sentences if their ongoing incarceration no longer serves the public good.
See the bill’s current status on the WA State website: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1125&Year=2025&Initiative=false
This bill was initiated by and for people currently incarcerated in Washington state, the Judicial Second Look Coalition. The Judicial Second Look Coalition centers on the leadership of Board of Directors who are incarcerated across four different WA prisons and who participate in chapters including Wakinyan Hotun: Native American Circle, Tribal Sons: Native American Circle, Asian Pacific Islanders Cultural Awareness Group (APICAG), API Sisters, Black Prisoners Caucus (BPC), Freedom Education Project Puget Sounds (FEPPS), and The Village. The Coalition also relies on the support of a Steering Committee that includes formerly incarcerated leaders and advocates at nonprofit organizations with advice from judges and attorneys.
We are proud that Washington’s first formerly incarcerated legislator, Tarra Simmons, is the bill’s lead sponsor in the House.
The Judicial Discretion Act:
Increases public safety: This bill aligns with research showing that long sentences do not reduce recidivism or deter crime.
Promotes racial justice: Severe racial disparities persist in sentencing and in the overall prison population. Nearly 1 in 4 individuals serving very long prison sentences are Black, while Black people make up less than 5 percent of the population. And Washington incarcerates Native people at more than six times the rate of white people.
Invests in Washingtonians: Savings from reduced incarceration will not only cover the cost of this bill, they will also ensure additional services for survivors of crime.
Better serves survivors: Long prison sentences do little to mitigate violence, are not favored by most crime survivors, and do not recognize that “victims” and “offenders” are often the same people. In fact, an Alliance for Safety and Justice survey found that six in ten “victims prefer shorter sentences and more spending on prevention and rehabilitation.”
Judicial Second Look Coalition in the Media
“Violent Crime Affected Us Both. Our stance on prison may surprise you”
Op-ed jointly written by Annie Nichol and Aswad Thomas, published in The Seattle Times, February 16, 2025.
“Restoring Judicial Discretion is in Victims’ Interest. Mandatory sentences don’t restore justice and often deny victims their voice and support they deserve.”
Read Annie Nichol's op-ed in the The Everett Herald, published January 25, 2025! Annie’s powerful message reminds us that most survivors agree that they want a system that prioritizes safety and breaking the cycle of harm, not locking people up and throwing away the key.
“Lobbying the WA Legislature from Behind Bars”
The Seattle Times; April 16, 2024
“Writing the Historical Wrongs for Native People in Prison”
Voices from Solitary; November 16, 2024