Rep. Jenny Graham: Promises broken, victims forgotten: Washington state’s public safety crisis

By Rep. Jenny Graham

On Sept. 20, 1982, my sister Debra was just 15 years old when she was murdered by the Green River Killer. My family clung to the promise of justice, but we quickly learned how fragile that promise can be. Too often, offenders are granted second chances while victims and their families serve life sentences. That painful reality hasn’t changed – it continues today.

Kevin Coe, the “South Hill rapist,” faces an unconditional release hearing on Oct. 2. His release is considered “highly likely.” If it happens, he will live in a west-side adult family home with no supervision – free to come and go, even back to Spokane.

State psychologists now claim he no longer meets the definition of a sexually violent predator – focusing only on crimes decades ago while ignoring the danger he still poses today. He has never shown remorse or undergone treatment, and nothing prevents him from targeting those least able to defend themselves. Ignoring these risks would be a betrayal of duty and a violation of public trust.

And Coe’s case is not the only example.

In the 1980s, Timothy Pauley murdered three people and injured two others. For years, the families were told they’d never face the possibility of his release. Yet on his last day in office, former Gov. Jay Inslee granted clemency – without notifying them. The families refused to be silenced. When the House Community Safety Committee denied them a chance to testify, I brought them into the hearing room. They also met with Gov. Bob Ferguson, whose decision to cancel the release earlier this year showed the difference persistence can make. But because clemency was granted, the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board must now set a new minimum term – forcing families to relive their trauma every time Pauley seeks release.

This is just one example of how our state continues to reopen old wounds and fail victims. The truth is that Washington state is facing a public safety crisis that affects every community. Our state ranks last for public safety. Homicides nearly doubled from 2019 to 2022, while more than half of violent crimes go unsolved. Overdose deaths have skyrocketed, with children increasingly endangered. We have the worst police staffing crisis in the country – our officer-to-resident ratio is 50% below the national average, which means law enforcement often can’t respond when needed. And just this year, the state Supreme Court slashed public defender caseloads by nearly 70%. With too few attorneys and no funding plan, cases will stall, charges will be dismissed, and offenders will walk free – not because they’re innocent, but because the system can’t keep up.

In 2025, the majority party advanced bills that weakened accountability and compromised public safety. One new law doubled the size of the Clemency and Pardons Board, allowing more convicted criminals to seek early release. Other measures – aimed to reopen and reduce long sentences, lower sentences for serious crimes committed by offenders under age 21, and eliminate sentencing enhancements for drug crimes near schools, gang recruitment of minors, and firearms offenses – did not advance this year. Still, they’ll almost certainly be back in 2026. These aren’t isolated proposals. They are part of a broader pattern of the Washington Way – prioritizing offenders while leaving victims behind. Meanwhile, House Republican solutions like my bills to make it a felony to expose children and vulnerable adults to fentanyl and to restore accountability for prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, and legislators and to create an Office of the Crime Victims Ombuds, along with other measures to strengthen oversight of sexually violent predators, increase penalties for fentanyl traffickers, and provide communities the funding needed to hire more officers – never received a hearing.

This matters because when bills don’t receive a hearing, they cannot be voted up or down on the House floor by your elected representatives.

At a time of rising crime, broken families, struggling businesses, and unsafe neighborhoods, the majority party continues to prioritize offenders, soften sentences, and sideline victims.

But Washington families deserve better.

True compassion doesn’t mean excusing criminal acts – it means upholding our state Constitution and ensuring justice is balanced and fair for both the accused and the victims.

That’s why I will continue to prioritize restoring balance – putting the safety of families first, holding offenders accountable, and ensuring victims are never left behind again.

Rep. Jenny Graham, R-Spokane, represents the 6th Legislative District and serves as the ranking member on the House Community Safety Committee and as a member of the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee.