Source: duncanbanner.com 7/31/24
Lawmakers across the country have considered legislation this year that would allow courts or parole boards to reevaluate a person’s long prison sentence and decide whether they can be safely released into society.
The bills, known as “second look” legislation, often focus on older populations, people sentenced as minors, or those whose crimes might have had a mitigating factor such as self-defense against domestic violence.
As America’s prison population both ages and increases, the “second look” movement has gained interest as a way to reduce overcrowding and potentially save money. Both Republicans and Democrats have sponsored the bills, but some advocates and prosecutors say the laws could retraumatize crime victims and further burden a strained court system.
Still, at least one second look bill, in Oklahoma, was signed into law this year. The new law, which is set to go into effect soon, requires judges to consider whether domestic violence was a mitigating factor in a crime. If so, a defendant would be eligible for a lighter sentence compared with the usual mandatory ranges.
I live in Oklahoma and this “Bill” will absolutely exclude people forced to register.
Mark my words. That’s if it even gets passed.
We are dead last in the country for education. So, there will be no evidence-based lawmaking here.