Anybody know ANYTHING on House Bill 523 about resentencing of non-violent habitual offenders? I can't find out anything from the Alabama Legislative Website.

Please update!

I received a letter this week asking all of us to write letters concerting this issue. Here is a copie if anyone wants to write and a list of who to send them to.

Dear Honorable______
As one of your constituents I urge you to help alleviate the overcrowding in Alabama's prisons by supporting House Bill 523. This bill allows a sentencing judge to re-sentence certain non-violent offenders to slightly shorter prison terms under the Habitual Offenders Act (from life without parole to life, for example) In ordre to be eligible, an inmate must NOT be convicted of a number of offenses including murder, kidnapping and rape. In its current form, this bill is vitally important and deserves your support.

However, we ask that you take one step further, The bill has been significantly amended to include robbery as one of the offenses that will eliminate an inmate from consideration under the bill. This amendment will drastically reduce any potential beneficial effect of reducing overcrowding. In the orgininal bill, the number of eliminating offenses was short, leaving the judge's unnecessarily. Judges are in the best position to evaluate the individual crime and the appropriate sentence.

Alabama's approach to criminal justice must be re-evaluated. We have the fourth highest incarceration rate in the country, yet we have the least amount of money to house, feed and medically treat inmates. Many of the inmates who committed robbery were very young and made bad choices. Spending life in prison without the possibility of parole is simply too harsh a sentence for many of these individuals. For those that deserve this kind of punishment , the judge can simply refuse to re-sentence them. Rather that let these individuals die in prison ( and have the state incur the cost of medical and housing care), is is much more advantageous to allow these individuals a small chance to one day return home to families that love them.
Please support an amendment to house bill 523 that will return it to its original version and remove robbery from the list of eliminating offenses. We ask for your support of that bill. I look forward for your sesponse in this important matter.

Sincerely,

Following are the names and addresses of the joint prison committee:\
Representative Tommy Carter
State House
11 South Union Street Room 524F
Montgomery Al 36130

Representative Blaine Galliher------Room628-C
Representative John W. Rogers Jr 541-D
Representative Demetrius C. Newton 516B
Senator Jack BiddleIII 722
Senator Sundra Escott 734
Senator Myron Penn 731
Governor Bob Riley
State Capitol
600 Dexter Ave
Montgomery

Commissioner Donal Campbell
AL Department of Corrections
1400 Lloyd Street
Montgomery Al 36107

I read today that this bill passed the House with the ammendments to include any offense involving a weapon and any conviction of domestic violence. It now goes to the Senate.

There has not been any action on HB 523 since June 11. Now with the Legislature being adjourned, it is considered a dead bill.