Because 90% of all prisoners in the United States are in state facilities, the work that states are doing to reduce their prison populations is crucial. Attempting to end mass incarceration necessitates realizing this is a situation requiring not one national solution, but fifty state solutions. Below are current state solutions that could be effectively modeled by other states for meaningful reform.
“Smith’s bill, House Bill 212, would increase it to a Class D felony — punishable by as many as 160 months, or more than 13 years, in prison. That’s the same punishment as for crimes like voluntary manslaughter. And it’s more serious than the punishment for crimes like injuring law enforcement officers or taking indecent liberties with children.“
Raleigh News & Observer
March 13, 2019
Read More“It is far too broad of a Constitutional amendment to provide directed and specific solutions for this problem. Constitutional amendments are not laws that can be amended. We will be stuck with this and its consequences. If Issue 1 passes, it will set us back. I’m not prone to hyperbole because I believe people want the facts. The fact is that most of the addicts I encounter and work with have expressed if it weren’t for the fear of incarceration, they never would have sought treatment, and many state the life they were leading was heading to death. This is not a political issue, it’s a matter of public safety. Please support your local criminal justice practitioners and treatment providers. Vote “No” on Issue 1.“
Delaware Gazette
November 2, 2018
Read More“Issue 1 would reduce Ohio’s bloated prison population, which has hovered around 130 percent capacity for years, and redirect the cost savings into drug treatment programs and community safety. People struggling with addiction should be sent to treatment, not prison. People who make one misstep while on probation deserve a second chance. Issue 1 will provide these opportunities, and in turn, these people can contribute to their families and local communities.“
Ohio Herald-Star
September 30, 2018
Read More“Issue 1 would reduce penalties for possessing and using drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, meth and cocaine. Under the proposed law, having those drugs would be misdemeanors and not felonies. Judges would also be prohibited from sentencing users to jail or prison unless it's their third or more conviction in two years.“
News 5 Cleveland
September 24, 2018
Read More"The bill in question — Kristen’s Law — would allow the possibility of a life sentence for anyone who sells, delivers or distributes an illegal drug that leads to a fatal overdose. The bill is named after Kristen Coutu, a 29-year old Cranston woman who died following an overdose of fentanyl-laced heroin in 2014. Coutu’s family has backed the bill."
Providence Journal
June 25, 2018
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