Justice System Reform Bill 1 2015 (Passed)

[Senator Cris]

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Sponsor: Senator Polnut

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Is there any potential for downsizing the prison system. I mean we are obviously not throwing people in the slammer for just a little weed like IRL. I would think we have potential to remove some of the capacity possibly.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Is there any potential for downsizing the prison system. I mean we are obviously not throwing people in the slammer for just a little weed like IRL. I would think we have potential to remove some of the capacity possibly.

     If they're owned by the company, my preference would be to simply have the contracts not be renewed and all prisoners there transferred to another prison. I agree that our situation should be sufficiently improved that we not need the extra capacity.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I'd be interested in what amendments colleagues might have on that front?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

What is the current prison population that is composed of people in real life, who have committed crimes that have since been decriminalized? I think that would be the best way to determine how to reduce the capacity.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Here's an amendment to get things going:

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[Senator Cris]

Senators have 24 hours to object.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Friendly

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I support the premise of this bill.

[Senator Cris]

The amendement has been adopted.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

We still haven't achieved much in the way of reducing prison capacity. I would think we can effectively reduce 15% to 20% as just a rough guess, but of course harder numbers might indicate a higher or a lower number. We would need to figure out what the split is from those jailed prior to the law changes and those who were not prosecuted as a result of the new laws to determine what percentage would be not incarcerated as a result.

Any question of course pertains to how many of these now legalized acts had previously resulted in time in a Federal Prison as opposed to a state/regional prison system?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Anyone have any other ideas for reducing prison capacity?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

So, looking at prison populations... about 7% of the prison population is based on drug crimes. Now, while we have quite liberal drug policies, we're not talking about universal legalisation or anything of that kind. So, I would say that taking existing policies into account isn't the step.

I would consider some kind of arrangement for existing inmates, who have served between 2-5 years, and are shown to have reformed themselves, to have sentences reduced, that's for non-violent and low-level drug offenses. As well measures to ensure these people don't end up in prison in the first place.

Violent criminals need to show a greater level of commitment to reform - but maybe some kind of specific  appeals process outside of parole? To me, the two steps to reduce the prison population are.

1. Ensure non-violent and low-level drug offenders do not end up in prison.

2. Reduce the sentences of existing inmates who have shown a commitment to reform, with an initial priority for those non-violent and low-level drug offenders.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So you mean like a kind of "serious" drug rehab (not the spas that the celebs go to and then claim they are clean after thirty days) for number 1?

2. For number two, we would need some kind of criteria on which to base those reductions of course. SHould it be more then just the convictions they have and their behavior in prison? Are there other measures that should be taken to determin whether someone should be released early as a part of accomplishing your point number 2?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Guys, I shall soon depart and I urge you STRONGLY to not let this issue go.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Indeed, I urge the new Senate will work with me to finish this.


I would be willing to assume sponsorship.


I also invite and encourage you to provide input and/or any feedback you might have post leaving office as a distinguished former Senator, whose input on such matters of social policy, I have generally and will continue to value greatly.

I would appreciate any feedback on my last post, particularly the second question I posted about the criteria for determining sentence reductions and any and all factors that should fit into that criteria. The two I came up with were the sentence (any by extension is severity) and also their behavior whilst in prison. Are their anymore that extend beyond these two?

[Senator Cris]

Senators have 24 hours to object to Yankee assuming sponsorship of this bill.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I figured I would be waiting until after the speakership election.


Anyway, since it went a bit quicker than I would think, I will leave one more day for feedback and then offer an amendment. I prefer to get it right on the first attempt but I am under no presumptions about succeeding in that and at the very least a controversial path will spark discussion and guides us in the right direction.

I will proceed with establishing the sentence reduction criteria that I mentioned in my last post and one prior to that.

[Senator Cris]

Yankee is now the sponsor of the bill.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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How does this look?

[Senator Cris]

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How does this look?

It's an amendment?
If yes, what number is X?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

This seems like a good idea to me. I assume that said review process will not result in sentences being increased?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I guess the difference is taking their behavior in prison into account? I would suppose that commuting their sentences would have taken the new laws into account.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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How does this look?

It's an amendment?
If yes, what number is X?

Not yet, I wanted to feel out where people were by posting a potential text.