Two years have passed since families and advocates of incarcerated individuals demanded to know why prison sentences were being bureaucratically prolonged.
Two years have passed since they demanded to know why non-violent sex offenders who cleared treatment are being referred for civil commitment.
Two years have passed since they demanded to know why the Attorney General’s Office seemingly drags its feet when reviewing referrals.
Despite making very little progress — though not through lack of trying — the supporters remain committed to attending every single Iowa Board of Corrections meeting and using their full two minutes of public comment to get their points across and share their stories, hoping one of these years someone will listen.
Jim Kersten, a member of the Iowa Board of Corrections, acknowledged just last week that families and advocates have been begging them for years to address their concerns. While the board has held presentations in the past about the civil commitment process, he urged the Attorney General’s Office to help them.
“We hear these continued — literally the last several years — complaints,” Kersten said during the Board of Corrections meeting on July 18. “And I just think it would be helpful not only for ourselves but for the public to understand what is the situation and how can we improve it. So that’s all I have to say.”
For the past year, supporters were told to wait patiently for a representative from Iowa Attorney General’s Office to attend the meeting and give a general overview of their role in the civil commitment process for Newton Correctional Facility inmates. This process determines whether…