Jason Ravnsborg, South Dakota’s attorney general-elect, announced Wednesday morning that he’s selected the current Brule County State’s Attorney to serve as director of the state’s Division of Criminal Investigation.
Continue reading “Natvig to lead South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation”
South Dakota gun rights supporters are saying newly-elected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gives them hope that additional gun rights laws will be passed. A concealed carry with no permit bill has been vetoed multiple times by the previous governor, but some are pointing to Noem’s record as a sign that might not be the case if a similar bill was presented to her. Continue reading “Concealed carry law expected to pass in South Dakota”
President Donald Trump gave his official backing to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s criminal justice overhaul efforts, giving Iowa’s senior senator hope his years-long quest to change the nation’s sentencing system might become a reality. Continue reading “Sen. Chuck Grassley’s criminal justice overhaul law wins President Trump’s support”
The Commission’s latest guidance states that e-signatures are to be regarded as equivalent to handwritten ones. Continue reading “The Law Commission: E-Signatures Are Equal To Handwritten Ones”
The Iowa DOT (Department of Transportation) issued thousands of speeding tickets to drivers even though it lacked the authority to do so before a legislative fix was adopted last year, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday. Continue reading “Iowa DOT wrongly issues thousands of traffic tickets”
Voters in six states soon will face a ballot initiative that for some seems like a no-brainer — whether to grant crime victims certain rights under the state constitution, such as the right to be treated with fairness, the right to confer with the prosecution and the right to attend key court proceedings. Continue reading “Marsy’s Law: Iowa Lawmakers Will Be Pressed Again Next Year”
For many who get in trouble with the law, going to prison can become a revolving-door experience. Breaking that cycle, and helping people get out and stay out of prison, can go a long way toward decreasing crime, reducing corrections costs and reforming the criminal justice system.
That’s why a relatively new anti-recidivism effort in Minnesota should be supported and expanded. A recent Star Tribune news story described Minnesota’s federal re-entry court, a program that’s making significant headway in reducing recidivism. The initiative approaches typical court proceedings in a different way. Rather than the typical adversarial model, judges and other federal criminal justice officials volunteer time to sit at a table with released ex-inmates who are at high risk to re-offend.
The program is one of about 60 across the nation, but is reportedly the only one that places participants with mentors from the community. Now in its third year, the effort has reduced recidivism from 73 percent of Minnesota’s highest-risk federal inmates to 27 percent. The story featured the 12th graduate of the 18-month program, a Hudson woman the story identified only by her first name, Moneer, who has turned her life around with the help of criminal justice officials.
Keeping former offenders out of prison is a smart component of criminal justice reform on many levels. It’s good for the inmate because getting out and staying out of jail opens up opportunities to go to school, get training, find employment and help support a family.
Society benefits as well. The $30,000 per year it costs the federal government to support an inmate can be devoted to areas such as education, health care and infrastructure. Reducing prison recidivism can also decrease crime and allow more former offenders to become contributing members of their communities.
Read the full article on Star Tribune