Pubdate: Sun, 11 Apr 2010
Source: Daily Camera (Boulder, CO)
Copyright: 2010 The Daily Camera.
Contact:  http://www.dailycamera.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/103
Author: Erika Stutzman

COST-EFFECTIVE JUSTICE

State Moving Toward Sentencing Reforms

State legislators are moving toward reducing Colorado's  criminal
justice costs, while emphasizing treatment --  rather than the more
expensive incarceration -- of  criminals who abuse substances.

One of these laws is House Bill 1352, which on Friday  advanced out of
the appropriations committee on its way  to the full House.

The state now houses more than 4,500 prisoners  convicted of
non-violent drug crimes under its  rarely-reformed state laws that
make possessing even  small amounts of drugs a felony.

Keeping addicts out of lengthy, pricey prison  sentences, and focusing
on their addictions, will  reduce recidivism and slash costs up front.
The bill,  based on recommendations from by the Colorado  Commission
on Criminal & Juvenile Justice, has wide  bi-partisan support, and is
expected to save the state  $50 million in the first five years. It
was endorsed by  more than 50 community organizations, including
police  associations, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform  Coalition,
Drug Endangered Children and the  Independence Institute.

The law dictates that a portion of the savings be  directed to
community-based programs that treat  addictions.

The bill marks a triumph of common sense over the  desire to punish
scofflaws: It lowers the penalty for  just using drugs. It lowers the
charge for small  amounts of marijuana, two ounces or less, to a petty
  offense to be punished by a fine of "not more than  $100." It
includes exceptions for medical marijuana,  which is legal in Colorado.

Intuitively, we know that an addict with some cocaine  and a dealer
who doles out death for profit are  different: The laws too often
treat them the same. This  law draws the important distinction between
possessing  drugs (other than marijuana) and being involved in the
manufacturing, selling or distributing those drugs. It  maintains
felony charges for adults who sell or give  drugs to children. It
includes stiff penalties for  those with drugs who have deadly weapons
within their  immediate reach.

The bill also marks triumph of the commission itself.  The group
included a couple of dozen members of the  criminal justice system's
often-quarrelsome sides: from  district attorneys to public defenders,
judges and  sheriffs, victim advocates and treatment providers.

"We're very pleased about the amount of work that we  were able to get
done. This body doesn't typically work  together as well as it did,"
said Rep. Claire Levy,  D-Boulder, the Judiciary Committee Chair.

- -- Erika Stutzman, for the Camera editorial board 
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