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21-6811. Determination of offender's criminal history classification in presumptive sentencing guidelines grids. In addition to the provisions of K.S.A. 21-6810, and amendments thereto, the following shall apply in determining an offender's criminal history classification as contained in the presumptive sentencing guidelines grids:

(a) Every three prior adult convictions or juvenile adjudications of class A and class B person misdemeanors in the offender's criminal history, or any combination thereof, shall be rated as one adult conviction or one juvenile adjudication of a person felony for criminal history purposes. Every three prior adult convictions or juvenile adjudications of assault as defined in K.S.A. 21-3408, prior to its repeal, or K.S.A. 21-5412(a), and amendments thereto, occurring within a period commencing three years prior to the date of conviction for the current crime of conviction shall be rated as one adult conviction or one juvenile adjudication of a person felony for criminal history purposes.

(b) A conviction of criminal possession of a firearm as defined in K.S.A. 21-4204(a)(1) or (a)(5), prior to its repeal, criminal use of weapons as defined in K.S.A. 21-6301(a)(10) or (a)(11), and amendments thereto, or unlawful possession of a firearm as in effect on June 30, 2005, and as defined in K.S.A. 21-4218, prior to its repeal, will be scored as a select class B nonperson misdemeanor conviction or adjudication and shall not be scored as a person misdemeanor for criminal history purposes.

(c) (1) If the current crime of conviction was committed before July 1, 1996, and is for K.S.A. 21-3404(b), as in effect on June 30, 1996, involuntary manslaughter in the commission of driving under the influence, then, each prior adult conviction or juvenile adjudication for K.S.A. 8-1567, and amendments thereto, shall count as one person felony for criminal history purposes.

(2) If the current crime of conviction was committed on or after July 1, 1996, and is for a violation of K.S.A. 21-5405(a)(3) or (a)(5), and amendments thereto, each prior adult conviction, diversion in lieu of criminal prosecution or juvenile adjudication for: (A) Any act described in K.S.A. 8-2,144 or 8-1567, and amendments thereto; or (B) a violation of a law of another state or an ordinance of any city, or resolution of any county, which prohibits any act described in K.S.A. 8-2,144 or 8-1567, and amendments thereto, shall count as one person felony for criminal history purposes.

(3) If the current crime of conviction is for a violation of K.S.A. 21-5413(b)(3) or (b)(4), and amendments thereto:

(A) The first prior adult conviction, diversion in lieu of criminal prosecution or juvenile adjudication for the following shall count as one nonperson felony for criminal history purposes: (i) Any act described in K.S.A. 8-2,144 or 8-1567, and amendments thereto; or (ii) a violation of a law of another state or an ordinance of any city, or resolution of any county, which prohibits any act described in K.S.A. 8-2,144 or 8-1567, and amendments thereto; and

(B) each second or subsequent prior adult conviction, diversion in lieu of criminal prosecution or juvenile adjudication for the following shall count as one person felony for criminal history purposes: (i) Any act described in K.S.A. 8-2,144 or 8-1567, and amendments thereto; or (ii) a violation of a law of another state or an ordinance of any city, or resolution of any county, which prohibits any act described in K.S.A. 8-2,144 or 8-1567, and amendments thereto.

(d) Prior burglary adult convictions and juvenile adjudications will be scored for criminal history purposes as follows:

(1) As a prior person felony if the prior conviction or adjudication was classified as a burglary as defined in K.S.A. 21-3715(a), prior to its repeal, or K.S.A. 21-5807(a)(1), and amendments thereto.

(2) As a prior nonperson felony if the prior conviction or adjudication was classified as a burglary as defined in K.S.A. 21-3715(b) or (c), prior to its repeal, or K.S.A. 21-5807(a)(2) or (a)(3), and amendments thereto.

The facts required to classify prior burglary adult convictions and juvenile adjudications shall be established by the state by a preponderance of the evidence.

(e) (1) Out-of-state convictions and juvenile adjudications shall be used in classifying the offender's criminal history.

(2) An out-of-state crime will be classified as either a felony or a misdemeanor according to the convicting jurisdiction.

(A) If a crime is a felony in the convicting jurisdiction, it will be counted as a felony in Kansas.

(B) If a crime is a misdemeanor in the convicting jurisdiction, the state of Kansas shall refer to the comparable offense under the Kansas criminal code in effect on the date the current crime of conviction was committed to classify the out-of-state crime as a class A, B or C misdemeanor. If the comparable offense in the state of Kansas is a felony, the out-of-state crime shall be classified as a class A misdemeanor. If the state of Kansas does not have a comparable offense in effect on the date the current crime of conviction was committed, the out-of-state crime shall not be used in classifying the offender's criminal history.

(C) If a crime is not classified as either a felony or a misdemeanor in the convicting jurisdiction, the state of Kansas shall refer to the comparable offense under the Kansas criminal code in effect on the date the current crime of conviction was committed to classify the out-of-state crime as either a felony or a misdemeanor. If the state of Kansas does not have a comparable offense in effect on the date the current crime of conviction was committed, the out-of-state crime shall not be used in classifying the offender's criminal history.

(3) The state of Kansas shall classify the crime as person or nonperson.

(A) In designating a misdemeanor as person or nonperson, comparable offenses under the Kansas criminal code in effect on the date the current crime of conviction was committed shall be referred to. If the state of Kansas does not have a comparable person offense in effect on the date the current crime of conviction was committed, the out-of-state crime shall be classified as a nonperson crime.

(B) In designating a felony crime as person or nonperson, the felony crime shall be classified as follows:

(i) An out-of-state conviction or adjudication for the commission of a felony offense, or an attempt, conspiracy or criminal solicitation to commit a felony offense, shall be classified as a person felony if one or more of the following circumstances is present as defined by the convicting jurisdiction in the elements of the out-of-state offense:

(a) Death or killing of any human being;

(b) threatening or causing fear of bodily or physical harm or violence, causing terror, physically intimidating or harassing any person;

(c) bodily harm or injury, physical neglect or abuse, restraint, confinement or touching of any person, without regard to degree;

(d) the presence of a person, other than the defendant, a charged accomplice or another person with whom the defendant is engaged in the sale, distribution or transfer of a controlled substance or non-controlled substance;

(e) possessing, viewing, depicting, distributing, recording or transmitting an image of any person;

(f) lewd fondling or touching, sexual intercourse or sodomy with or by any person or an unlawful sexual act involving a child under the age of consent;

(g) being armed with, using, displaying or brandishing a firearm or other weapon, excluding crimes of mere unlawful possession; or

(h) entering or remaining within any residence, dwelling or habitation.

(ii) An out-of-state conviction or adjudication for the commission of a felony offense, or an attempt, conspiracy or criminal solicitation to commit a felony offense, shall be classified as a person felony if the elements of the out-of-state felony offense that resulted in the conviction or adjudication necessarily prove that a person was present during the commission of the offense. For purposes of this clause, the person present must be someone other than the defendant, a charged accomplice or another person with whom the defendant is engaged in the sale, distribution or transfer of a controlled substance or non-controlled substance. The presence of a person includes physical presence and presence by electronic or telephonic communication.

(iii) An out-of-state conviction or adjudication for the commission of a felony offense, or an attempt, conspiracy or criminal solicitation to commit a felony offense, shall be classified as a nonperson felony if the elements of the offense do not require proof of any of the circumstances in subparagraph (B)(i) or (ii).

(4) Convictions or adjudications occurring within the federal system, other state systems, the District of Columbia, foreign, tribal or military courts are considered out-of-state convictions or adjudications.

(5) The facts required to classify out-of-state adult convictions and juvenile adjudications shall be established by the state by a preponderance of the evidence.

(f) Except as provided in K.S.A. 21-4710(d)(4), (d)(5) and (d)(6), prior to its repeal, or K.S.A. 21-6810(d)(3)(B), (d)(3)(C), (d)(3)(D), (d)(4) and (d)(5), and amendments thereto, juvenile adjudications will be applied in the same manner as adult convictions. Out-of-state juvenile adjudications will be treated as juvenile adjudications in Kansas.

(g) A prior felony conviction of an attempt, a conspiracy or a solicitation as provided in K.S.A. 21-3301, 21-3302 or 21-3303, prior to their repeal, or K.S.A. 21-5301, 21-5302 or 21-5303, and amendments thereto, to commit a crime shall be treated as a person or nonperson crime in accordance with the designation assigned to the underlying crime.

(h) Drug crimes are designated as nonperson crimes for criminal history scoring.

(i) If the current crime of conviction is for a violation of K.S.A. 8-1602(b)(3) through (b)(5), and amendments thereto, each of the following prior convictions for offenses committed on or after July 1, 2011, shall count as a person felony for criminal history purposes: K.S.A. 8-235, 8-262, 8-287, 8-291, 8-1566, 8-1567, 8-1568, 8-1602, 8-1605 and 40-3104, and amendments thereto, and K.S.A. 21-5405(a)(3) or (a)(5) and 21-5406, and amendments thereto, or a violation of a city ordinance or law of another state which would also constitute a violation of such sections.

(j) The amendments made to this section by chapter 5 of the 2015 Session Laws of Kansas are procedural in nature and shall be construed and applied retroactively.

History: L. 2010, ch. 136, § 292; L. 2011, ch. 30, § 79; L. 2012, ch. 166, § 4; L. 2015, ch. 5, § 2; L. 2015, ch. 90, § 2; L. 2016, ch. 97, § 2; L. 2018, ch. 16, § 1; L. 2018, ch. 106, § 26; L. 2019, ch. 59, § 13; May 23.

Source or Prior Law:

21-4711.

Attorney General's Opinions:

Person who has been charged with operating a vehicle under the influence and thereafter completes diversion is not disqualified from being a candidate for or holding the office of sheriff. 2012-8.

CASE ANNOTATIONS

1. When classifying a prior out-of-state crime as person or nonperson, the court must compare the crime to the comparable Kansas statute in effect at the time the prior out-of-state crime was committed. State v. Dickey, 50 Kan. App. 2d 468, 476, 329 P.3d 1230 (2014).

2. Remanded; trial court failed to determine nature of defendant's prior Texas burglary adjudication under the modified categorical approach before classifying the prior adjudication as a person felony for criminal history purposes. State v. Mullens, 51 Kan. App. 2d 1114, 1119, 360 P.3d 1107 (2015).

3. District court erred in classifying prior burglary adjudications as person felonies for criminal history purposes, 1986 burglary statute did not include a dwelling element. State v. Cordell, 302 Kan. 531, 534, 354 P.3d 1202 (2015).

4. Classification of a prior conviction or adjudication as a person or nonperson offense for criminal history purposes is determined by the classification in effect for the comparable Kansas offense at the time the crime at issue was committed. State v. Keel, 302 Kan. 561, 590, 357 P.3d 251 (2015).

5. Classifying defendant's prior burglary adjudication as a person felony for criminal history purposes was constitutionally prohibited when factual finding went beyond identifying the statutory elements that constituted the prior burglary adjudication. State v. Luarks, 302 Kan. 972, 978, 360 P.3d 972 (2015).

6. A special rule applies for classifying prior burglary convictions as person or nonperson: If the prior conviction involved burglary of a dwelling, it is a person crime, and if the prior conviction did not involve a dwelling, it is a nonperson crime. State v. Moore, 52 Kan. App. 2d 799, 809, 377 P.3d 1162 (2016).

7. In determining how to grade out-of-state prior convictions, the first step is to determine if the convictions are for misdemeanors or felonies; for felonies, the second step is to classify the prior convictions as person or nonperson. State v. Buell, 52 Kan. App. 2d 818, 825, 377 P.3d 1174 (2016).

8. Colorado's third degree assault statute, criminalizing negligently causing bodily harm or injury to another person, is not comparable to Kansas' aggravated battery statute for criminal history determinations in sentencing. State v. Rodriguez, 305 Kan. 1139, 1149-54, 390 P.3d 903 (2017).

9. Out-of-state misdemeanor that only requires the defendant to act with criminal negligence is not comparable to a Kansas offense that requires the defendant to act recklessly for criminal history calculation purposes. State v. Rodriguez, 305 Kan. 1139, 390 P.3d 903 (2017).

10. Because section is silent on how to classify an out-of-state conviction as a felony or misdemeanor for criminal history purposes when the convicting jurisdiction does not make such a determination, the conviction must be classified as a misdemeanor under the rule of lenity. State v. Horselooking, 54 Kan. App. 2d 343, 356, 400 P.3d 189 (2017).

11. To be a comparable offense, the elements of an out-of-state conviction must be identical to or narrower than the elements of the Kansas crime. State v. Wetrich, 307 Kan. 552, 562, 412 P.3d 984 (2018).

12. A sentencing court is precluded from scoring a municipal ordinance violation when the convicting jurisdiction's municipal code fails to designate that violation as either a felony or misdemeanor while it uses those designations for other violations. State v. Smith, 309 Kan. 929, 441 P.3d 472 (2019).

13. When an out-of-state conviction was properly scored at the time of sentencing, a subsequent change of law does not make the sentence illegal. State v. Weber, 309 Kan. 1203, 1208-09, 442 P.3d 1044 (2019).

14. The state has the burden to prove a defendant's criminal history by a preponderance of evidence. State v. Ewing, 310 Kan. 348, 446 P.3d 463 (2019).

15. Virginia's assault and battery crime as defined by Virginia common law is not identical to or narrower than the Kansas battery statute and therefore a prior Virginia conviction must be counted as a nonperson offense when calculating criminal history. State v. Thomas, 311 Kan. 905, 916-18, 468 P.3d 323 (2020).

16. When calculating criminal history for an out-of-state conviction, compare the enumerated circumstances to the elements of the out-of-state crime, overruling the comparable offense analysis of State v. Wetrich, 307 Kan. 552. State v. Baker, 58 Kan. App. 2d. 735, 475 P.3d 24 (2020).


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