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Judiciary chair warns sentencing bill could 'abandon hope'; seeks parole-board study and flags prison capacity and fiscal impacts
Summary
Chairman Clamine raised constitutional and policy concerns about Senate Bill 2128’s proposed 50% rule for offenders, compared it to 'abandon all hope' language, and asked for legislative-counsel work and a study of the Parole Board amid worries about an estimated $22.5 million biennial fiscal note and limited prison capacity.
Chairman Clamine told the House Judiciary Committee that he fears Senate Bill 2128's sentencing changes would remove incentives for rehabilitation, and he asked legislative counsel to prepare further amendments and a study of the Parole Board and parole process before the committee acts.
"This bill ... kinda reminds me of that. It's almost like we have to put that sign on the gate of the state pen," Clamine said, quoting the Dante line "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here," to capture his view that the measure could reduce prisoners' hope for eventual release. The bill would establish a 50% requirement for some offenders to serve half their sentence unless they qualify as an "eligible offender" under a list of cross-referenced offenses; the committee discussed how that interacts with an existing 85% rule for violent offenders.
Clamine said the committee has received differing statistics from the…
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