Prison Reform Bill Clears House, Heads To Governor For Signature

SB 750, Gov. Mike Beebe’s prison reform and sentencing overhaul bill, passed the full House of Representatives today on a 79-14 vote. It now heads to his office for signature into law.

The bill aims to curtail the growth in prison spending in Arkansas by as much as $875 million during the next decade.

It would reduce penalties for non-violent crimes and attempts to steer future non-violent offenders to alternative prison terms freeing up critical bed space for more violent offenders. For more detail on the bill’s contents, check out our previous coverage.

Approximately 8,900 of the state’s current prison population of 16,200 are incarcerated for non-violent crimes. That means about 7,300 are being held for violent offenses such as murder, rape, kidnapping and other charges.

The Public Safety Improvement Act was once a contentious measure pitting the state’s prosecutors against the Governor and other law enforcement officials.

With today’s House passage, the measure will be referred to the Governor for signature. He has 5 days to take action on the measure. A spokesman for Beebe says that there will be a public signing ceremony at a yet-to-be-determined date.