Connections
March MT legislative newsletter…
The March issue of the Montana Legislative Branch Newsletter is available at: www.leg.mt.gov under the heading ‘What’s New’. If you you have any questions or comments about the newsletter contact Jeff Martin at jmartin@mt.gov or Gayle Shirley at gshirley@mt.gov. »
Law and Justice Interim Committee meeting Feb. 8th & 9th in Helena…
The Law and Justice Interim Committee will be meeting at 8:00 a.m. in Room 137 of the Capitol Building on Monday and Tuesday, February 8-9. »
Please take our MTCJRN 2010 priorites survey…
We look forward to your input and help in creating “positives changes” and a more efficient criminal justice system for Montana. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RR3WKX8 »
Schweitzer Admin cuts Advisory Councils…
Cutting the two Corrections Department councils will save about $18,000 over a two-year period, she said. The money pays for staff support time, travel costs and per-diem payments to citizen members of the council. »
Thanks to John Wirtala for informing the public of the Parole Board activities.
"They offer an inmate a parole board meeting before they are eligible. If the inmate isn’t aware of this when he shows up they flip them for a full year or two if they are exceptionally early. That way they can set the budget and count on that income for the next year or... »
Montana Criminal Justice Reform Network Priorities Survey…
Connections is gearing up for 2010 and we would like your opinions and input, as to what the priorities should be as we move forward. We look forward to your input and help in creating “positives changes” and a better, more efficient criminal justice system for MT. Thank you. »
White Elephant…
Our prisons are full because intake exceeds outflow. The bottleneck in the system seems to be the Board of Pardons and Parole. No matter how statistics are manipulated, research shows there are approximately 600 inmates who, as their duly elected sentencing judges planned, are eligible for parole right now... »
prisons and budgets…
The United States, which has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, has about one-quarter of its prisoners. But the relentless rise in the nation’s prison population has suddenly slowed as many states discover that it is simply too expensive to overincarcerate. Between 1987 and 2007 the prison population nearly tripled, from 585,000 to... »
U.S.: Out of Step…
In the United States, approximately 2,570 children are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. Children as young as 13 have been sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison without a second chance and an opportunity for release. »
10 Things You Can Do-
The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. Criminologists have found that when too many people are incarcerated the crime rate actually increases. Imagine if we spent some of the $60 billion a year prisons cost on education, job training and healthcare. Paul... »