Included in the prison special session call released by Gov. Kay Ivey’s office last week were two additional provisions dealing with criminal justice reform.
One calls for legislation to make 2013 sentencing standards apply retroactively to those sentenced prior to 2013, and the other would apply a 2015 law on mandatory supervision of inmates retroactively as well.
During his regular appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Daphne) argued against consideration of those measures during the special session, adding that they should be considered in the 2022 regular session coming up in January.
“I think they are potential hiccups,” he said. “If I had been the one making the call, I would not have included them. I think it’s a nod to some of the things the Democrats have been asking for. But I do not think that a special session is the time to be talking about sentencing reform.”
“I think what is incumbent upon us to handle is the serious prison construction issue that we have before us,” Elliott continued. “But I am not as sure we’ll see reform measures happen. But we’ll have to see what happens with those as well. I would prefer for those measures to have waited until a regular session, which is not that far away.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.
