Washington State

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WA. REV. CODE § 9.94A.535(3)(h),(j) (2025).

• The court may reduce a sentence outside the standard sentence range if the following criteria are met:
  • The defendant or the defendant’s children suffered a continuing pattern of physical or sexual abuse by the victim of the offense
  • The offense is a response to that abuse or the current offense involved domestic violence, as defined in RCW 10.99.020
  • The defendant experienced a continuing pattern of coercion, control, or abuse by the victim of the offense, and
  • The offense is a response to that coercion, control, or abuse.
  • The defendant must show these factors by a preponderance of the evidence.

WA. REV. CODE § 9.94A.890(1)(c) (1993).

• The sentencing court or the court’s successor shall consider recommendations from the indeterminate sentence review board for resentencing offenders convicted of murder if the indeterminate sentence review board advises the court that the offender was convicted for a murder committed prior to July 23, 1989, RCW 9.94A.535(1)(h), if effective when the offender committed the crime, would have provided a basis for the offender to seek a mitigated sentence, and upon review of the sentence, the indeterminate sentence review board believes that the sentencing court, when originally sentencing the offender for the murder, did not consider evidence that the victim subjected the offender or the offender’s children to a continuing pattern of sexual or physical abuse and the murder was in response to that abuse.
• This is restricted to convictions that resulted in an indeterminate sentence.

WA. REV. CODE § 9.94A.648(1)(A) (2023).

• Provides a mechanism for vacating the records of conviction for certain felonies committed by victims of sex trafficking, prostitution or commercial abuse of a minor.
• The applicant must provide an affidavit detailing the specific facts showing that the offense was committed as a result of being a victim and that all related penalty assessments have been paid.
• The applicant also must not have any pending criminal charges or have been convicted of recent felonies (subject to certain limitations).

WA. REV. CODE § 9.96.080(1)(a) (2021); WA. REV. CODE § 9.96.060(3)(2012).

• A victim of sex trafficking, prostitution, or commercial sexual abuse of a minor; sexual assault; or domestic violence, as defined in RCW 9.94A.030 may apply to the sentencing court or the sentencing court’s successor to vacate the applicant’s record of conviction for the offense;
• The prosecutor of a county or municipality in which a victim of sex trafficking, prostitution, or commercial sexual abuse of a minor; sexual assault; or domestic violence was sentenced for a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor offense may exercise discretion to apply to the court on behalf of the state recommending that the court vacate the victim’s record of conviction.