The department is hereby authorized to suspend temporarily the public assistance granted to any person for any period during which such person is not in need thereof.
If a recipient is convicted of any crime or offense, and punished by imprisonment, no payment shall be made during the period of imprisonment.
If a recipient is convicted of unlawful practices under RCW 74.08.331, no payment shall be made for a period to be determined by the court, but in no event less than six months upon the first conviction and no less than twelve months for a second or subsequent violation. This suspension of public assistance shall apply regardless of whether the recipient is subject to complete or partial confinement upon conviction, or incurs some lesser penalty.