The bill would increase the criminal penalty for the offense of harassment from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor if committed against a court employee. The offense would be increased to a state jail felony if committed against a court employee and the actor has been previously convicted of the offense or committed against a judge, and a third degree felony if committed against a judge and the actor has been previously convicted of the offense.
Increasing the penalty 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 2,821 arrests, 255 referrals, 359 placements onto community supervision, no individuals admitted into an adult state correctional facility, and no individuals admitted into a juvenile state correctional facility for the offense of harassment. It is unknown how many of these offenses were committed against a court employee or a judge.
The impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources cannot be determined due to the lack of data to identify the number of offenses committed against a court employee or a judge which would be subject to enhanced penalties under the bill's provisions.