Committee kills bill to allow sentence reduction for good behavior
06:22 PM MST on Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Associated Press

BOISE -- A proposed bill to reward prisoners' good behavior with reductions in their sentences is dead.

The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee killed it in a seven-to-five vote.

Representative Steve Smylie says the measure would have helped cut the cost of caring for a prison population that's grown to 6,300.

But opponents objected on two grounds.

First, they said it would have undermined efforts of a panel formed by Governor Dirk Kempthorne to find ways to reign in prison costs.

And critics also said it would have provided less predictability for victims because their tormentors could get out earlier than their official release dates.

Smylie says he'll continue to pursue reforms.

I just saw this on the news, but yesterday I heard that the rep said it was only pushed aside until they know more about the committee the Gov. is forming.

I would bet that in the end even if it was "set aside" that was only a nice way of saying its dead, but I will keep an eye out

Its so depressing (to me at least). Progress seems so slow given how much is wrong with our system in the US...it is like we eventually take one step forward and then we take 0.9 steps back ...and yet we have to take several hundred steps forward to catch up with Canada, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, .....
..and meanwhile, our civil liberties and the constitution are being encroached every day....as you can see, I am not in an optimistic mood tonight

I agree progress is so slow. There are so many issues with the system that nobody sees. Until one in the political end actually has to see first hand how the justice system fails then they will never see the full picture for what it is.

The problem is to those who have a name or money the justice system will never fail then meaning they will never see it the same as the average person does.

I feel ya on the not very optomistic mood