2005 Washington Revised Code RCW 7.80.005: Legislative finding — 1987 c 456.
The legislature finds that many minor offenses that are established as misdemeanors are obsolete or can be more appropriately punished by the imposition of civil fines. The legislature finds that some misdemeanors should be decriminalized to allow resources of the legal system, such as judges, prosecutors, juries, and jails, to be used to punish serious criminal behavior, since acts characterized as criminal behavior have a tremendous fiscal impact on the legal system.
The establishment of a system of civil infractions is a more expeditious and less expensive method of disposing of minor offenses and will decrease the cost and workload of the courts of limited jurisdiction.
[1987 c 456 § 6.]
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