Gov. Sanford Calls for Passage of Sentencing Reform
LEGISLATION AIMED AT SAVING TAXPAYER DOLLARS, REDUCING RECIDIVISM
Columbia, S.C. – April 21, 2010 – Gov. Mark Sanford today joined legislative leaders and state officials to call for passage of the sentencing reform bill (S.1154) now being debated in the South Carolina House of Representatives. These reforms would reverse the trend toward incarcerating non-violent criminals who pose little or no risk to the public, discourage recidivism by providing inmates with a more closely supervised transition to society once their sentences have been served, and at the same time save taxpayers more than $400 million over the next five years.
“Over the last several years our Department of Corrections has done a phenomenal job of doing more with less – indeed South Carolina spends $39.85 per day on each inmate, the second lowest rate in the nation,” Gov. Sanford said. “However, a number of structural problems with our prison and parole system have prevented Corrections from making improvements that would both discourage recidivism and save taxpayer resources in the process. These reforms are not only a matter of making our Corrections process even more lean and effective, but also reducing overall crime and consequently improving the quality of life we all enjoy as South Carolinians. For that reason I’d thank Senator Gerald Malloy, Chairman of the Sentencing Reform Commission, Vice-Chairman Representative Murrell Smith, Corrections Director Jon Ozmint and other Members of the Committee for their leadership on this front – and I’d urge members of the House to pass these reforms as quickly as possible.”
“I believe our state’s criminal justice system often resembles a collection of uncoordinated laws and policies, cobbled together over decades, which have never been reviewed comprehensively,” said Department of Corrections Director Jon Ozmint. “With respect to sentencing laws, the Sentencing Reform Commission took a huge step forward and while the resulting legislation may not be a silver bullet, it is a significant step in the right direction.”
The Sentencing Reform Commission offered 24 recommendations to the General Assembly on February 1 of this year – with these recommendations aimed at making incarceration more commensurate with the crime committed, increasing supervision for inmates as they transition back into normal life, limiting unnecessary prison population increases, and potentially saving $409 million in operating costs and construction costs over the next five years.
The full report may be accessed online at the link below:
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/citizensinterestpage/SentencingReformCommission/CombinedFinalReport020110SigPage.pdf
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