WA Bar Washington Criminal Law 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Washington uses a Sentencing Reform Act (SRA) grid. What are the two axes of the standard range grid?
- Offense severity and defendant's age
- Offense seriousness level and offender score (Correct answer)
- Offense class and victim impact
- Prior convictions and offense type
Correct answer: Offense seriousness level and offender score
Washington's SRA grid at RCW 9.94A.510 uses offense seriousness level (I–XVI) on one axis and offender score (0–9+) on the other to determine the standard sentence range.
Question 2: Under RCW 9A.08.010, Washington's 'recklessness' mens rea requires the defendant to:
- Know that a result is practically certain to occur
- Be aware of and disregard a substantial and unjustifiable risk (Correct answer)
- Fail to perceive a risk that a reasonable person would have perceived
- Intend to cause a specific result
Correct answer: Be aware of and disregard a substantial and unjustifiable risk
Washington defines recklessness as consciously disregarding a substantial and unjustifiable risk that a result will occur or that a circumstance exists.
Question 3: In Washington, first-degree murder under RCW 9A.32.030 requires which mental state?
- Negligence
- Recklessness
- Knowledge
- Premeditated intent to cause death (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Premeditated intent to cause death
Washington first-degree murder requires premeditated intent to cause the death of another person or the commission of specified felonies with resulting death.
Question 4: Under Washington's Persistent Offender Accountability Act ('three strikes'), a persistent offender convicted of a third most serious offense receives which sentence?
- Double the standard range
- Mandatory minimum of 25 years
- Life in prison without possibility of parole (Correct answer)
- Life in prison with parole eligibility after 30 years
Correct answer: Life in prison without possibility of parole
RCW 9.94A.570 mandates life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for persistent offenders convicted of a third most serious offense (three strikes law).
Question 5: Washington's 'felony murder' doctrine under RCW 9A.32.030(1)(c) imposes murder liability when a death results from:
- Any felony committed by the defendant
- One of the enumerated dangerous felonies such as robbery or rape (Correct answer)
- Any crime regardless of the defendant's intent
- A misdemeanor if it was committed recklessly
Correct answer: One of the enumerated dangerous felonies such as robbery or rape
Washington's felony murder rule applies only when death results from the commission or attempted commission of specified inherently dangerous felonies, not from any felony.
Question 6: Under Washington law, what is the statute of limitations for prosecuting a class A felony?
- 6 years
- 10 years
- 20 years
- No limitation period (Correct answer)
Correct answer: No limitation period
Under RCW 9A.04.080, there is no statute of limitations for class A felonies in Washington — they may be prosecuted at any time.
WA Bar Washington Criminal Law 1
Washington uses a Sentencing Reform Act (SRA) grid.
What are the two axes of the standard range grid?