(BISMARCK, ND) – Nearly three hours after opening the hearing, the North Dakota House Judiciary Committee gaveled out of a morning hearing with no action on a bill known as the ‘truth-in-sentencing bill.’
Senate Bill 2128 calls for, if passed in its current form, violent offenders, drug traffickers and sex offenders to serve at least 50 percent of the sentence handed down by the court before becoming eligible for parole.
In his testimony, North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Colby Braun spoke out against the bill’s passage.
“What SB 2128 does is shut the door on the investments in rehabilitation and redemption that are proven to make our communities safe,” he said. “It takes away time credits that incentivize people in prison to follow the rules and participate in education, treatment, and rehabilitation programs and bans people in prison from entering a transition center until they reach the last 15 percent of their sentence, which is often too late for a person to complete and benefit from the treatment and training available there.”
Attorney General Drew Wrigley spoke in favor of the bill.
“Judging by what we’ve uncovered in the last year-and-a-half,” he said. “The need for this legislation is obvious.”
Wrigley said the legislation ‘is a modest proposal’ relating to violent crimes, sexual assault and drug trafficking.
