On Friday, April 14, the Senate Democrat Majority passed a Judiciary and Public Safety Omnibus Budget bill that makes thousands of criminals eligible for early release, reduces sentences for violent offenders, and funnels millions of dollars to untested and unproven non-profit organizations.
“This bill is a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card that puts the safety of all Minnesotans at severe risk,” said Senator Gary Dahms (R − Redwood Falls). “Instead of getting tough on repeat, violent offenders, Senate Democrats want to shorten their sentences. This legislation denies justice to crime victims and fails to provide support for law enforcement officers.”
Senate File 2909 makes 92% of the prison population eligible for an early release through the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act (MRRA). Currently, convicted criminals spend a minimum of 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 exclude specific crimes (i.e. 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 perpetrators’ early release, just a “passive attempt” meaning victims 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 from 25 years to as little as 15 years for juveniles tried as adults. 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, been 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: murdering family with an ax, raping a woman while stabbing her with a screwdriver, stabbing a woman 173 times, and killing a 10-month-old baby. The Minnesota County Attorneys Association has opposed this change because of the seriousness of the cases involved.
“There is very little assistance for law enforcement in the bill,” Senator Dahms continued. “Retirements and the ‘Defund the Police’ 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 to untested and unproven non-profit organizations. These non-profits cannot arrest criminals and cannot 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.
To hear more of Senator Dahms’s comments, click here: https://fb.watch/jVjgJpTKVx/