ST. PAUL, Minn. – Thousands of Minnesota inmates could be eligible for release when they’ve served just half their prison time rather than two-thirds, but only if they successfully complete treatment and/or other programs.
That comes under a controversial measure in a public safety budget bill the Minnesota Senate passed late Friday on a straight partisan vote of 34-33.
“The Democrats seek to coddle criminals and give them a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card,” Saint Michael Republican Sen. Eric Lucero said.
Saint Louis Park Democrat Ron Latz said studies show such programs reduce repeat offenses.
Also in the bill, judges and prosecutors would no longer have the option of sentencing gun-crime offenders to less than the mandatory minimum in state law.
“In 2020, 40 percent of the time, prosecutors and judges waived that mandatory minimum,” Maple Grove Republican Sen. Warren Limmer said. “The amendment wants to stop that.”
The House has not yet passed its public safety bill, so it remains to be seen whether the measure would be in final legislation that goes to the governor.
Juveniles tried as adults for serious crimes could have their sentences reduced by as much as ten years if they successfully complete treatment and other programs.
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