A bill that would have granted judges the discretion to lower the seriousness of some misdemeanor offenses — so they would no longer be crimes but instead “violations” punishable by fines — died in committee this week.
House Bill 2469 faced powerful opposition from prosecutors, who said it would have decriminalized a long list of crimes by allowing judges on a case-by-case basis to treat them as mere violations, similar to speeding tickets. Among that list: possessing small amounts of street drugs, breaking into cars, shoplifting less than $1,000 worth of merchandise, some hate crimes, having sex in public, flashing strangers for sexual arousal, soliciting sex for money, trespassing and showing up to schools or playgrounds when sex offenders have been prohibited from doing so.
The bill would have given judges the discretion to consider the “character” of defendants, as well as past criminal history, before deciding whether an act defined as a misdemeanor crime should be handled as a violation. Violations aren’t subject to jail time, probation or other sentencing conditions, such as court orders to have no contact with a victim or take part in drug treatment, mental health counseling or anger management classes…