Harsh Penalties for Graffiti Offenses (H 7634)

In addition to the amendments that this legislation would make to the community service requirements to be imposed by judges against individuals convicted of graffiti offenses, we urged that this bill be further used as an opportunity to revisit the extremely harsh prison penalties associated with this offense. Graffiti offenses are overwhelmingly committed by young people, often minors, and this statute makes these offenses a crime punishable by imprisonment and potentially imposing on young people the lifetime burden that comes with a felony record. We testified that a reexamination of the severity of these penalties is warranted in addition to the amendments proposed by this bill. This bill died in committee.