House Judiciary hears competing testimony on SB 2128 'truth in sentencing' proposal

The House Judiciary Committee on Oct. 12 heard more than three hours of testimony on Senate Bill 2128, a proposal the attorney general described as a “truth in sentencing” package that would require some convicted violent offenders, drug traffickers and other specified offenders to serve a larger share of a judge’s sentence before being eligible for parole.

Attorney General Drew Wrigley told the committee the measure is not about increasing maximum sentences but about enforcing the “sanctity of a judicial order” and ensuring that judges’ determinations carry through to actual time served. “This legislation isn't about the length of sentences. It's about the sanctity of a judicial order that comes at the conclusion of a criminal matter,” Wrigley said.

Wrigley and several county prosecutors told the committee they made the bill a priority after reviewing cases in which people convicted of serious offenses served only a small fraction of their court-ordered sentences and later committed new crimes. Wrigley and proponents urged the committee to require that qualifying offenders serve 50% of the court sentence before being considered for parole; if parole is denied, an offender would serve up to 85% of the original sentence with up to 15% available as good time, according to materials and testimony presented to the committee.

Why it matters: Supporters said recent case reviews and local anecdotes show a pattern of early transfers to unsecure transitional settings and recidivism by people…