Is Seattle considering eliminating most misdemeanor crimes?
Seattle is considering an amendment of its criminal code to allow additional "duress" defenses for those accused of misdemeanors.
Seattle's current law allows charges to be dismissed if an individual is ruled to have committed a crime under "duress." The amendment, proposed by Seattle council member Lisa Herbold, would add poverty and mental illness to the list of permissible "duress" defenses. But it wouldn't eliminate the crimes from its code.
"This proposal would not...provide blanket immunity from most misdemeanors, nor...an absolute defense," Herbold wrote. "The legislation would allow the judge and/or jurors to consider not just what may have happened but why it may have happened."
A decision on the proposal is not due until after the city's annual budget process in late November.