Branstad signs bill allowing early release of hundreds of drug felons
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Sentencing reform advocates applauded the changes.
“Any move that returns flexibility to sentencing is a good thing because you have a neutral party — the judge — making the decision,” said Greg Newburn, state policy director for the non-partisan Families Against Mandatory Minimums, based in Washington, D.C.
Sentencing reform has been a hot-button issue across the country, with several states enacting laws that ease mandatory minimum sentences, particularly for nonviolent, drug-related crimes.
Oklahoma’s governor, for example, signed a bill in April that reforms that state’s three-strike felony system by lowering the mandatory minimum sentences for drug-related felonies.
In addition, Congress is considering legislation that would ease mandatory minimum sentences for some nonviolent drug crimes and allow early release to many now in prison.
The House passed the bill, 98-0; the Senate passed it 28-19.
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