Let's not pretend that Senate Bill 177 is a panacea for the state's revolving-door prison system, but it represents a leap forward from what Arkansas has now. The bill requires criminals who have been locked up three or more times to serve four-fifths of their terms before being paroled. Call our current system catch and release, and it puts law-abiding citizens out in the free world at a greater risk of being assaulted or worse by the bad actors out there searching for more prey. And the job only adds to the burden of law-enforcement officers trying to serve and protect the rest of us.
To quote state Senator Bryan King of Green Forest, sponsor of SB 177, "We have put such a burden on our sheriffs and our prosecutors. These people who are incarcerated have had multiple, multiple opportunities to improve their situation and it hasn't worked."
The governor seems worried about how much SB 177 will cost the state in dollars and cents rather than in lives lost. To quote the governor's statement: "This bill does not qualify as a well-designed plan. For one thing, the main argument for this legislation is that it will increase public safety. This is not the case, I can assure you. In fact this bill pushes additional offenders into already overcrowded county jails."
Senator King argues that where there's a will there's way to protect Arkansas' families. And in this case, he's up against not only the governor but the governor's nephew, state Senator Jeremy Hutchinson of Little Rock, who warns that it's "not responsible to impose a $20-million cost . . . without having a way to pay for it. This is not a solution."
Senator King has been responsible enough to suggest various sources of revenue to pay for his proposal to keep the bad guys behind bars. Or as state Senator Eddie Joe Williams of Cabot pointed out: "There are solutions if we can find them." And the state isn't likely to find them if instead it keeps coming up with excuses not to search for answers to a perplexing challenge.
The only amendment we can immediately think of to improve SB 177 is to exempt any inmate who has passed a rehab program that has demonstrated it has reduced recidivism significantly. (Pathway to Freedom anybody? It's low recidivism rate is one to be admired.)
At last report, SB 177 was still being debated as if it were over money instead of elemental justice. There are arguments on both sides of this question, but an ancient admonition should take precedence over all of them: Choose life. Which is not only the idealistic choice but a practical one.
Editorial on 03/28/2017