Minnesota State Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) today expressed concern about the public safety bill passed by the Senate on Friday evening. The bill does little to support law enforcement officers and it makes thousands of criminals eligible for early release and reduces sentences for violent offenders.
Notable portions of the bill include:
- It allows 92% of the prison population to be eligible for early release. This will be applied retroactively and could impact about 7,400 of the approximately 8,000 prisoners in the state. It only excludes prisoners with a life sentence but does not specifically exclude specific crimes like manslaughter, rape, kidnapping, assault, or domestic assault.
- It does not require victims to have absolute notification of their perpetrator’s early release, just a passive attempt, meaning they may not know their perpetrator is free before it’s too late.
- It reduces the maximum penalty for juveniles tried as an adult from 25 years to as little as 15 years, including violent offenders. There are 96 individuals whose cases would qualify, and they were convicted of heinous crimes like murdering their family with an ax, raping a woman while stabbing her with a screwdriver, stabbing a woman 173 times, and killing a 10-month baby.
“Numerous communities continue to grapple with crime rates that remain higher than they have been in years, but this public safety proposal fails to adequately address those issues,” Nelson said. “The bill does little to tackle the underlying causes of criminal behavior, nor does it take strong enough steps to keep us safe.
“There is a better way: I support a comprehensive public safety plan that includes key issues like strengthening law enforcement, confronting criminal threats with stronger penalties, and holding judges and prosecutors accountable for their decisions,” Nelson added. “It’s a much better approach.”
Omitted from the bill is any form of assistance for law enforcement. Retirements and the “Defund” movement have made it harder to find qualified law enforcement for open positions. With police departments struggling to fill open positions and colleges struggling to fill classrooms for criminal justice programs, this bill is woefully inadequate to recruit, train, and retain a qualified, professional police force.