Honorable John T. Smithee, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1902 by Cook (Relating to creating the criminal offense of jugging.), As Introduced
The bill would create the state jail felony offense of jugging, committed when a person, with intent to commit monetary theft, targets or observes another person withdrawing money and subsequently physically follows or causes to be followed the person who made the withdrawal. When during commission of the offense, the person additionally commits burglary of a vehicle, the offense would be punishable as a third degree felony, or as a second degree felony when during commission the person additionally commits robbery or aggravated robbery.
Creating a new criminal offense may result in an increase in 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 2024, there were 5,894 arrests, 774 referrals, 282 placements on adult community supervision, 92 individuals admitted to an adult state correctional facility, and 1 individual admitted to a juvenile state correctional facility for the offense of burglary of a vehicle.
In fiscal year 2024, there were 8,352 arrests, 1,262 referrals, 1,174 placements on adult community supervision, 2,619 individuals admitted to an adult state correctional facility, and 141 individuals admitted to a juvenile state correctional facility for the offenses of robbery or aggravated robbery.
It is unknown whether the circumstances of any of these offenses included conduct constituting the offense of jugging under the bill's provisions.
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.