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ESHB 1394 and sex offender registration

Information about House Bill 1394.

What is ESHB 1394

The Washington State legislature passed HB 1394 on April 20, 2023. The bill changes the registration requirements for juvenile sex offense adjudications.

Research guided the legislative intent to change the registration laws. The research cited by the legislature shows:

  • Rehabilitation is the best path to reduce recidivism for convicted juvenile sex offenders.
  • Community safety does not increase by requiring registration and notification for minors convicted of sex offenses.
  • There is an association between requiring youth registration and mental health struggles.
  • Registration may cause the offender to become a target of sexual abuse.

Juvenile sex offenders are only required to register for certain  offenses at specific ages. When an offense requires the offender to register, they must do so for a maximum of 3 years post-release from confinement.

Individuals with previous requirements to register will be administratively relieved of their duty to register on November 1, 2023.

View HB 1394

What ESHB 1394 means for the PAO and Failure to Register cases

Based on ESHB 1394 and the legislative intent, the KCPAO will be:

  • Dismissing all open Failure to Register (FTR) cases where the defendant’s duty to register legislatively ends on November 1, 2023.
  • Declining to file FTR cases where the defendant’s duty to register legislatively ends on November 1, 2023.

KCPAO will also be dismissing and/or declining to file charges where:

  • The original duty to register derived from a juvenile sex offense, and
  • The ongoing duty arises solely from felony FTR convictions

Resources for impacted victims

Visit the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center website, or contact them at 888-998-6423.

Victims are not notified if offenders do not need to register based on this bill. We work with our advocacy partners to answer any questions from individual victims.

This bill only impacts the offender's duty to register. Other conditions remain in effect. This includes Sexual Assault Protection Orders (SAPOs), community custody, and/or orders of no contact.

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