ST. PAUL – Today Senate Republicans blasted Senate Democrats for passing a Public Safety budget bill that would make thousands of criminals eligible for early release, reduce sentences for violent offenders, and funnel millions of dollars to untested and unproven non-profit organizations while ignoring the needs of law enforcement officers across the state.
Watch the Senate Republican Press Conference
“I have never seen more dangerous policies for our state. Just in the last few days, Police say with warmer weather, crime is increasing rapidly. As a result, some neighborhoods live in fear, and law enforcement officers are put at risk every day. And this bill gives criminals a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card with early release and reduced sentences, even for violent offenders,” Senator WarrenLimmer (R- Maple Grove) said. “We have a record surplus, but this budget bill is nowhere near enough to address the crisis we have in our state. Rather than improving training for cops, this bill gives money to untested non-profits. Rather than modernizing our Correction Department facilities and resources, this bill will lead to emptying prison cells. Rather than getting tough on repeat, violent offenders, this bill reduces prison time for those convicted of things like assault, rape, and carjacking,” he concluded. Limmer is the Ranking Republican on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
The bill makes 92% of the prison population eligible for early release through the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act (MRRA). Currently, convicted criminals spend two-thirds of their time in incarceration, and the rest on supervised release; the MRRA reduces the amount of incarceration time to one-half of the sentence. It is applied retroactively and could impact about 7,400 of the approximately 8,000 prisoners in the state.
The MRRA only excludes prisoners with a life sentence but does not specifically exclude specific crimes like manslaughter, rape, kidnapping, assault, or domestic assault, meaning those who were charged by law enforcement, tried by a judge or jury, and convicted of those crimes could be released significantly earlier than their victims were promised. The MRRA 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.
In addition to the MRRA making thousands of prisoners eligible for early release, the bill also reduces the maximum penalty for juveniles tried as an adult from 25 years to as little as 15 years. Again, acting retroactively, these convicted criminals would be eligible for shorter sentences or early release despite having been certified mature and charged as an adult, convicted by the judicial system, and sentenced by a judge. 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. The Minnesota County Attorneys Association has opposed this change because of the seriousness of the cases involved.
“There may be flaws in our judicial system, but the change in this bill for juveniles who have been tried as adults is simply abhorrent,” Limmer said. “These individuals went through a legitimate and serious process with their convictions, and no one should be voting to undo the decisions made by the prosecutors, juries, and judges in these cases. They are guilty of are heinous crimes and deserve to pay the full price of conviction.”
Lastly, there is very little assistance for law enforcement in the bill. 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.
Rather than funding law enforcement, the bill funnels $91 million dollar to untested and unproven non-profit organizations. These non-profits can’t arrest criminals and can’t be expected to address violent crimes in their communities. In at least one case, an individual who received grant funding as a community non-profit was arrested for their own violent crimes.
Three amendments offered by republicans were adopted into the bill. Sen. Limmer’s amendment that removed the ability of a prosecutor to waive the mandatory minimum for violent offenses committed with a firearm was adopted. This proposal has been supported by Republicans for many years as one way to reduce gun violence by simply enforcing current law.
Additionally, an amendment offered by Sen. Julia Coleman (R- Waconia) allows the Department of Public Safety, which provides housing for victims, and the Department of Corrections, which provides transitional housing for offenders, to avoid housing offenders near their victims, and prevents Level III offenders from being housed near daycare centers or facilities where vulnerable adults live.
An amendment to add additional staff to the school safety resource center offered by Sen. Rich Draheim (R- Madison Lake) was adopted on a voice vote. The School Safety Center helps schools review their buildings for safety and make changes to ensure our children and teachers are working in a safer environment.