SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Saturday, the House/Senate Conference Committee on the Public Safety & Judiciary budget discussed proposed reforms to the state’s corrections system. House DFLers on the committee presented well-crafted proposals to protect the safety of those in our state prisons and jails, to improve probation terms that can help those serving time to better their lives, and to stop practices that traumatize young people in our juvenile justice systems. Lawmakers heard from people who’ve lost loved ones in Minnesota jails as they considered proposals to improve safety within facilities.
“Everyone who enters a correction facility deserves to be safe and should have hope that as they re-enter society, they can be a successful, contributing member of their community. Today, we heard how our systems are falling short of those objectives,” said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), Chair of the House Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform Committee. “We have the capacity to build a corrections system that both delivers the accountability that comes with wrongdoing, while recognizing the humanity and worth within each and every person.”
Commissioner Paul Schnell and other officials from the Minnesota Department of Corrections provided testimony on the budget proposals, including Deputy Commissioner Curtis Shanklin who discussed the importance of juvenile justice reforms. The committee discussed the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act, a proposed new sentencing approach allowing those incarcerated to earn early release by successfully completing goals within an Individualized Rehabilitation Plan. Lawmakers also discussed proposed reforms to how technical violations can best be handled for individuals on probation and new regulations regarding the use of jailhouse witnesses.
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