HB 2086--
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HOUSE BILL No. 2086
By Committee on Federal and State Affairs
1-24
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AN ACT concerning crimes and punishment; relating to sentencing of battery; amending K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 21-4704 and repealing the exist- ing section. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas: Section 1. K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 21-4704 is hereby amended to read as follows: 21-4704. (a) For purposes of sentencing, the following sentencing guidelines grid for nondrug crimes shall be applied in felony cases for crimes committed on or after July 1, 1993: [ ERROR PROCESSING GUIDELINES ] (b) The provisions of this section shall be applicable to the sentencing guidelines grid for nondrug crimes. Sentences expressed in such grid represent months of imprisonment. (c) The sentencing guidelines grid is a two-dimensional crime severity and criminal history classification tool. The grid's vertical axis is the crime severity scale which classifies current crimes of conviction. The grid's horizontal axis is the criminal history scale which classifies criminal his- tories. (d) The sentencing guidelines grid for nondrug crimes as provided in this section defines presumptive punishments for felony convictions, sub- ject to judicial discretion to deviate for substantial and compelling reasons and impose a different sentence in recognition of aggravating and miti- gating factors as provided in this act. The appropriate punishment for a felony conviction should depend on the severity of the crime of conviction when compared to all other crimes and the offender's criminal history. (e) (1) The sentencing court has discretion to sentence at any place within the sentencing range. The sentencing judge shall select the center of the range in the usual case and reserve the upper and lower limits for aggravating and mitigating factors insufficient to warrant a departure. (2) In presumptive imprisonment cases, the sentencing court shall pronounce the complete sentence which shall include the prison sen- tence, the maximum potential reduction to such sentence as a result of good time and the period of postrelease supervision at the sentencing hearing. Failure to pronounce the period of postrelease supervision shall not negate the existence of such period of postrelease supervision. (3) In presumptive nonprison cases, the sentencing court shall pro- nounce the prison sentence as well as the duration of the nonprison sanc- tion at the sentencing hearing. (f) Each grid block states the presumptive sentencing range for an offender whose crime of conviction and criminal history place such of- fender in that grid block. If an offense is classified in a grid block below the dispositional line, the presumptive disposition shall be nonimprison- ment. If an offense is classified in a grid block above the dispositional line, the presumptive disposition shall be imprisonment. If an offense is classified in grid blocks 5-H, 5-I or 6-G, the court may impose an optional nonprison sentence upon making the following findings on the record: (1) An appropriate treatment program exists which is likely to be more effective than the presumptive prison term in reducing the risk of offender recidivism; and (2) the recommended treatment program is available and the of- fender can be admitted to such program within a reasonable period of time; or (3) the nonprison sanction will serve community safety interests by promoting offender reformation. Any decision made by the court regarding the imposition of an optional nonprison sentence if the offense is classified in grid blocks 5-H, 5-I or 6-G shall not be considered a departure and shall not be subject to appeal. (g) The sentence for the violation of K.S.A. 21-3411 and amendments thereto, aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer or K.S.A. 21- 3415 and amendments thereto, aggravated battery against a law enforce- ment officer and amendments thereto which places the defendant's sen- tence in grid block 6-H or 6-I shall be presumed imprisonment. The court may impose an optional nonprison sentence upon making a finding on the record that the nonprison sanction will serve community safety in- terests by promoting offender reformation. Any decision made by the court regarding the imposition of the optional nonprison sentence, if the offense is classified in grid block 6-H or 6-I, shall not be considered departure and shall not be subject to appeal. (h) When a firearm is used to commit any person felony, the offen- der's sentence shall be presumed imprisonment. The court may impose an optional nonprison sentence upon making a finding on the record that the nonprison sanction will serve community safety interests by promot- ing offender reformation. Any decision made by the court regarding the imposition of the optional nonprison sentence shall not be considered a departure and shall not be subject to appeal. (i) The sentence for the violation of the felony provision of K.S.A. 8- 1567 and, subsection (b) of K.S.A. 21-3705 and subsection (c)(3) of K.S.A. 21-3412, and amendments thereto shall be as provided by the specific mandatory sentencing requirements of that section and shall not be sub- ject to the provisions of this section or K.S.A. 21-4707 and amendments thereto. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other section, the term of imprisonment imposed for the violation of the felony provision of K.S.A. 8-1567 and, subsection (b) of K.S.A. 21-3705 and subsection (c)(3) of K.S.A. 21-3412, and amendments thereto shall not be served in a state facility in the custody of the secretary of corrections. (j) The sentence for any persistent sex offender whose current con- victed crime carries a presumptive term of imprisonment shall be double the maximum duration of the presumptive imprisonment term. The sen- tence for any persistent sex offender whose current conviction carries a presumptive nonprison term shall be presumed imprisonment and shall be double the maximum duration of the presumptive imprisonment term. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, as used in this subsection, ``persistent sex offender'' means a person who: (1) Has been convicted in this state of a sexually violent crime, as defined in K.S.A. 22-3717 and amendments thereto; and (2) at the time of the conviction under subsec- tion (1) has at least one conviction for a sexually violent crime, as defined in K.S.A. 22-3717 and amendments thereto in this state or comparable felony under the laws of another state, the federal government or a for- eign government. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any person whose current convicted crime is a severity level 1 or 2 felony. (k) If it is shown at sentencing that the offender committed any felony violation for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang, with the specific intent to promote, further or assist in any criminal conduct by gang members, the offender's sentence shall be presumed imprisonment. Any decision made by the court regarding the imposition of the optional nonprison sentence shall not be considered a departure and shall not be subject to appeal. As used in this subsection, ``criminal street gang'' means any organization, association or group of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, having as one of its primary activities the commission of one or more person felonies or felony violations of the uniform controlled substances act, K.S.A. 65-4101 et seq., and amendments thereto, which has a common name or common iden- tifying sign or symbol, whose members, individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in the commission, attempted commission, conspiracy to commit or solicitation of two or more person felonies or felony viola- tions of the uniform controlled substances act, K.S.A. 65-4101 et seq., and amendments thereto, or any substantially similar offense from an- other jurisdiction. Sec. 2. K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 21-4704 is hereby repealed. Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication in the statute book.