Honorable Joe Moody, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1784 by Landgraf (Relating to certain requirements of protective orders and conditions of release on bond and to the criminal penalties for violating those requirements and conditions.), As Introduced
The bill would expand the conduct constituting the offense of violating certain court orders or conditions of bond to include remotely controlling an electronic device affecting the residence, vehicle, or property of a person protected by an order or a member of the family or household of a person protected by an order. The offense is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor but may be punishable as a state jail felony or third degree felony in certain circumstances.
Expanding the conduct constituting an existing offense may result in additional demands upon state and local correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement.
In fiscal year 2022, there were 5,906 individuals arrested, 656 individuals placed on community supervision, and 153 individuals admitted into a state correctional institution for the offense of violating certain court orders or conditions of bond. The impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources cannot be determined due to the lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties.