Despite controversial amendments, House passes justice reinvestment bills

The measures now go back to the Senate, where members will vote to concur with, or reject the amendments.

• Katie Meyer
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Katie Meyer was WITF’s Capitol Bureau Chief from 2016-2020. While at WITF, she covered all things state politics for public radio stations throughout Pennsylvania. Katie came to Harrisburg by way of New York City, where she worked at Fordham University’s public radio station, WFUV, as an anchor, general assignment reporter, and co-host of an original podcast. A 2016 graduate of Fordham, she earned several awards for her work at WFUV, including four 2016 Gracies.
  
  Katie is a native New Yorker, though she originally hails from Troy, a little farther up the Hudson River. She can attest that the bagels are still pretty good there.
  
  WITF's Capitol Bureau Chief Desk is partially funded through generous gifts made in the memory of Tony May through the Anthony J. May Memorial Fund.
  
  For more information about Tony May, click here.

 Matt Rourke / AP Photo

FILE PHOTO: Shown is the Pennsylvania House of Representatives chamber Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015, in Harrisburg, Pa.

(Harrisburg) — The state House has taken a significant step toward passing a long-awaited package of criminal justice overhauls—moving two of the three bills out of the chamber and to the Senate for concurrence.

The measures are designed to save money on corrections and reinvest it in crime prevention projects.

One would create a parole advisory committee aimed at helping counties, another would expand crime victim compensation and the third would allow automatic parole for some low-level offenders.

But for a moment this week, it looked like that last bill might crash under the weight of several amendments adding controversial mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes.

The sponsor, Montgomery County Republican Todd Stephens, ultimately withdrew them. But many Democrats and the state ACLU are still unhappy with other GOP additions to the bill, like mandatory minimums for people convicted of harming minors.

Democrat Tim Briggs, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said he voted for it reluctantly and hopes the Senate strips it out.

“There is no evidence from research on mandatory minimum sentencing that they are effective at deterring future criminal behavior,” he said.

The state ACLU pulled its support for the bill completely.

Governor Tom Wolf has said he looks forward to signing the full package.

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