Justice Reform Consortium
Legislative Agenda
Revised 2011
1. Life Without Parole for Juveniles: Enact legislation that complies with the Graham v Florida SCOTUS decision of 2010. Re-introduce JLWOP bills from 2 years ago.
2. The Mentally Ill and Addicted:
- Focus on treatment rather than prison when the former is a viable alternative to the latter
- Maintain current drug courts and appropriate additional dollars to establish new drug courts in each judicial district.
- Introduce mental health courts in several different judicial districts.
- Create a meaningful program in Corrections and in the Dept. of Public Health to address effective and compassionate mental health problems.
- Support the Iowa Bar Assosciation's Criminal Law Section in amending Iowa Code section 907.5 to specify a defendant's mental health and substance abuse problems as factors to consider in sentencing.
- Support the Iowa Bar Assosciation's Criminal Law Section in amending Iowa Code section 901.3 to require presentence investigation reports to contain information on substance abuse and mental health treatment options available in both the offender's community and the correctional system.
3. Criminal Sanctions: Prevent the enhancement of criminal penalties and the creation of new crimes unless there is empirical evidence that the punishment fits the crime.
4. Increase Earned Time: Change the current 1.2 days of earned time to 1.5 days. This will save money and provide an incentive for good behavior.
5. Sexual abuse/assault of prisoner by a correctional officer, employer, contractor, vendor, volunteer or agent: Support a DOC bill that will upgrade this offense from the current misdemeanor to a felony. See #3 above (empirical evidence.)
6. Mandatory Minimum Sentences:
- Repeal Iowa Code section 124.413 drug mandatory minimum term and make it retroactive.
- Review offenses carrying mandatory prison terms, and discuss which could be opened to allow for judicial sentencing discretion.
7. Crack/Powder Disparity: Equalize the penalties of powder and crack cocaine by increasing threshold amounts of crack cocaine for the various penalty class levels, and provide a mechanism for review and possible resentencing discretion.
8. Disproportionate Incarceration of African-Americans in Iowa's Correctional System: Studies under Governors Ray, Vilsack and Culver have pointed to this problem over the span of years, yet very little seems to be accomplished in eradicating or easing the problem. JRC will work toward implementation of the recommendations of the various studies which are designed to sensibly address this embarassing Iowa problem.
For additional information or clarification please contact the Legislative Advocate for the Justice Reform Consortium: Marty Ryan of Fawkes-Lee & Ryan: marty@iowappa.com, cell #: 515-681-8076
Justice Reform Consortium member organizations: Friends of Iowa Women Prisoners; Iowa CURE(Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants); American Friends Service Committee, Iowa Division; Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Des Moines Chapter; National Organization for Women, Iowa Chapter; National Organization for Women, Des Moines Chapter; Beacon of Life; Iowa Annual Conference, United Methodist Church; National Association of Social Workers, Iowa Chapter; Trinity United Methodist Church, Des Moines; ACLU of Iowa; Methodist Federation for Social Action; Iowa Coalition 4 Juvenile Justice; Social Action Committee, Des Moines Presbytery; Voices to Be Heard; Plymouth Congregational Church, Board of Christian Social Action;
|
