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MN: Senate bill aims to cut prison sentences to save state funds

By Real Cost of Prisons Project (The Sentencing Project)

Senate bill aims to cut prison sentences to save state funds by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio April 16, 2009 A bill introduced in the Minnesota Senate this week would cut prison sentences across the board and lower penalties for specific crimes. The bill's author said she's proposing the changes to help balance the state's budget. But some public safety advocates say the changes go too far and the savings could be found elsewhere. St. Paul, Minn. ? The bill proposed by DFL Senator Linda Higgins would cut $78 million from the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections. The bulk of the cuts, $66 million, would come from the Corrections Department. Because most of the department's expenses come from housing inmates, Higgins said the only way to save money is by reducing the number of inmates walking into prisons and the amount of time they stay there...continue to full post

Full post as published by The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog on April 21, 2009 (boomark / email).