Honorable Pete Flores, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1379 by Flores (Relating to increasing the criminal penalties for forgery.), As Introduced
The bill would increase criminal penalties for the offense of forgery. Under existing statute, the penalties for the offense range from Class C misdemeanor through first degree felony. Under the bill's proposed modifications, the penalty range would increase, ranging from Class B misdemeanor through first degree felony.
Increasing penalties for an existing offense may result in additional demands upon state correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals confined and in the length of stay for individuals sentenced to a term of confinement.
In fiscal year 2024, there were 2,261 arrests, 20 referrals, 323 individuals placed onto adult community supervision, 300 individuals admitted into an adult state correctional facility, and no individuals admitted into a juvenile state correctional facility for the offense of forgery.
The estimated impact on adult and juvenile correctional populations would follow the fiscal year 2024 observed rates of carceral admission, projected growth rates for these populations as reported in the Biennial Report on Adult Criminal Justice Populations Fiscal Years 2018 to 2030, and the average time between offense and admission for these forgery offenses. The impact on state correctional populations and on the demand for state correctional resources is assumed to be significant due both to increases in the number of individuals confined and to increases in lengths of stay associated with higher penalty levels.