Lawmakers Tout Criminal Justice Reform Legislation for 2018
November 15th, 2017 by Jake Stofan
A bi-partisan coalition of state lawmakers and criminal justice organizations touted new Legislation aimed at improving the state’s sentencing laws this afternoon.
The press conference discussed three bills filed which would give judges the option to of handing out a sentence lower than the mandatory minimums set for certain drug crimes.
It’s a luxury already granted to prosecutors.
“I think that that shows you the kind of dedication you’re seeing and the kind of leadership you’re seeing on this issue. When you have the presiding officers from both of these chambers for the last many years stepping up and saying it’s okay to talk about criminal justice reform, it’s okay to be bold on these ideas,” said Senator Jeff Brandes.
Legislation has also been filed that would end the practice of suspending drivers licenses when a person fails to pay a fine because they can’t afford it.
Another bill would raise the monetary value of stolen property to qualify as a felony from $300, to $1,500.
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