Research brief · Washington
Who would benefit from the Review Act
The Review Act would let a judge take a second look at a long prison sentence and decide whether it still serves justice. About 3,035 people in Washington prisons would become eligible to ask, from 37 of the state's 39 counties.
Published November 2026. The 2025–26 version of the bill was HB 1125 / SB 5269; the 2027 bill number will be added once it is filed.
How it works
A judge reviews the case. Nobody is released automatically.
People who have served a long sentence could petition the court that sentenced them. To get a hearing, a petition must show substantial rehabilitation or a minimal risk of reoffending. The judge then decides whether the original sentence still serves the interests of justice.
A review hearing can shorten a sentence. It can never lengthen one.
- No release without supervision. Anyone resentenced serves at least five years of community custody.
- Mandatory minimums hold. A judge cannot go below the mandatory minimum terms set in statute, such as 20 years for first-degree murder.
- Exclusions. Aggravated first-degree murder and persistent offender ("three strikes") sentences are not eligible. Anyone convicted of first-degree murder must serve 20 years before petitioning.
- Time to plan. No one can be released sooner than six months after the hearing.
- No endless petitions. After a denial, a person waits three years and must show changed circumstances to file again.
- Reasons on the record. The court explains its decision in writing.
For survivors
Victims are notified, heard and supported
- Prosecutors must make reasonable efforts to notify victims and survivors of every hearing.
- Victims and survivors may speak at the hearing, in person or through a representative, and the court must consider what they say.
- A flexible fund at the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy would help with relocation, travel to hearings and therapy costs.
- Victim advocates in prosecutors' offices would offer legal advocacy, safety planning, case management and restorative justice options.
Who would benefit
Eligible people live in every corner of the state
The highest rates per resident are in Pierce County and in rural counties such as Lewis, Okanogan and Mason. King County, with the largest count, is below the statewide rate of 37.8 per 100,000.
| County | Eligible | Per 100,000 residents | Legislative districts in the county | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | 680 | 28.6 | 5, 34, 36, 37, 46, 33, 43, 11, 45, 41, 30, 47, 48, 12, 1, 32, 31 | |
| Pierce | 603 | 63.3 | 27, 28, 31, 29, 25, 2, 26 | |
| Snohomish | 222 | 25.6 | 38, 39, 44, 21, 10, 12, 32, 1 | |
| Spokane | 215 | 38.4 | 3, 6, 4, 9, 7 | |
| Clark | 212 | 39.5 | 49, 18, 17, 20 | |
| Yakima | 178 | 67.6 | 15, 14 | |
| Thurston | 103 | 33.6 | 22, 35, 2, 19, 20 | |
| Kitsap | 87 | 30.4 | 23, 26, 35 | |
| Lewis | 69 | 81.2 | 20, 19 | |
| Whatcom | 65 | 27.3 | 42, 40 | |
| Cowlitz | 62 | 54.4 | 19, 20 | |
| Benton | 59 | 27.1 | 8, 16, 15, 14 | |
| Skagit | 53 | 39.8 | 40, 39, 10 | |
| Grant | 47 | 44.6 | 13, 16 | |
| Mason | 46 | 68.2 | 35 | |
| Grays Harbor | 40 | 51.7 | 24, 19 | |
| Franklin | 35 | 34.2 | 16, 14, 8 | |
| Okanogan | 33 | 76.4 | 7 | |
| Chelan | 31 | 37.7 | 12, 7 | |
| Stevens | 28 | 58.8 | 7 | |
| Clallam | 25 | 31.8 | 24 | |
| Walla Walla | 21 | 33.1 | 16 | |
| Island | 16 | 18.0 | 10 | |
| Pacific | 14 | 58.5 | 19 | |
| Asotin | 13 | 57.2 | 9 | |
| Kittitas | 12 | 24.7 | 13 | |
| Jefferson | 9 | 26.7 | 24 | |
| Skamania | 9 | 74.5 | 17 | |
| Klickitat | 8 | 34.1 | 14, 17 | |
| Douglas | 7 | 15.5 | 7, 13 | |
| Whitman | 6 | 12.3 | 9 | |
| Pend Oreille | 6 | 43.3 | 7 | |
| Ferry | 5 | 68.0 | 7 | |
| Adams | 4 | 18.6 | 9, 13 | |
| Columbia | 3 | 75.5 | 9 | |
| San Juan | 1 | 5.4 | 40 | |
| Lincoln | 1 | 8.8 | 9 |
Counts by sentencing county, the court that imposed the sentence. That is not always where a person lived. Seven records had no county. Eligibility follows the 2025 bill's phases and does not count the medical pathway.1 County population: Washington Office of Financial Management, April 1, 2024.
Phased in over seven years
Who could petition, and when
- July 2027: people who have served 7 years for an offense committed at 17 or younger, and people who are terminally ill or have a permanent or degenerative medical condition.
- July 2028: 20 years served, for an offense at ages 18 to 24.
- July 2029: 13 years served, for an offense at ages 18 to 24.
- July 2030: adds 20 years served, for an offense at 25 or older.
- July 2031: 10 years served at ages 18 to 24; 17 years at 25 or older.
- July 2032: 13 years served, for an offense at 25 or older.
- July 2033 onward: 10 years served, for an offense at 18 or older.
At any time, a person may petition with the prosecuting attorney's consent. Emerging adults ages 18 to 24 have their own tier because brain development generally continues into the mid-20s.
The record so far
Four sentencing bills cleared committee in 2025. None got a floor vote.
In the 2025–26 Legislature, each bill passed its policy committee with a majority. Two were placed on the House floor calendar and returned to the Rules Committee nine days later.
| Bill | What it did | Committees cleared | Where it stopped |
|---|---|---|---|
| HB 1125 | Judicial discretion to modify sentences in the interest of justice | Community Safety; Appropriations | On the floor calendar Mar 10, 2025; returned to Rules Mar 19 |
| HB 1178 | Sentencing enhancements | Community Safety | On the floor calendar Mar 9, 2025; returned to Rules Mar 19 |
| HB 1274 | Excludes juvenile convictions from offender scores, retroactively | Community Safety; Appropriations | Held in Rules |
| HB 1317 | Review for people serving long sentences for offenses before age 21 | Community Safety; Appropriations | Held in Rules |
| SB 5269 | Senate companion to HB 1125 | None | Not heard in Law & Justice |
Source: Washington State Legislature bill histories, 2025–26 biennium.4
What the evidence says
Washington has already tried this, on a small scale
Since 2020, Washington prosecutors have been able to ask a court to resentence someone. Through mid-2024 they received more than 1,000 requests and filed 42 petitions; courts granted 41. For the 37 people with known sentences, total time fell from 731 years to 413. In 27 counties that received requests, prosecutors filed none.5
A judicial process gives every eligible person the same chance at review, wherever they were sentenced.
Of 98 people released after long sentences for offenses committed as juveniles, 2 had a new felony conviction as of June 2024.5 In Maryland, about 200 older people released after long sentences have reoffended at under 3%.6
Washington would build on a national movement: 15 states, including Washington, plus the District of Columbia and the federal system have some form of second look law.7
Get involved
The campaign
The Review Act is the lead bill of the Second Look Washington Coalition, which brings together directly impacted people, survivors, tribal leaders and advocates. BarNone contributes research.
Reporters and legislative staff: we can share county-level tables and walk through the methods.
Sources
Notes
- Second Look Washington Coalition analysis of the Washington Department of Corrections prison population, September 2024 snapshot, applying the 2025 bill's phases. The Department's 2025 fiscal note estimated 2,188 eligible people; estimates will be updated against the 2027 bill.
- Washington Department of Corrections fact card, September 30, 2026. Sentences ordered, not time served.
- Washington Department of Corrections, cost per incarcerated individual (FY2025 about $81,000; FY2026 draft $86,261).
- Washington State Legislature, HB 1125 bill history and related bills, 2025–26.
- Beckett and Goldberg, University of Washington, Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing in Washington State, June 2024.
- Justice Policy Institute, Unger fact sheet, 2018.
- The Sentencing Project, The Second Look Movement, August 2025.