Pubdate: Mon, 14 Apr 2003 Source: Huntsville Times (AL) Copyright: 2003 The Huntsville Times Contact: http://www.htimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/730 A CONSERVATIVE REFORM Bill Pryor's national stature may help his quest to change sentencing laws State Attorney General Bill Pryor will sit on a federal appeals court if President Bush has his way and Pryor can win endorsement in the U.S. Senate. That would give Pryor a great deal of personal satisfaction and position him to be of great influence in interpreting the law. But it's debatable whether Pryor's work on a federal bench will mean as much to Alabama as the current fight he is waging to reform the state's sentencing laws. Thanks to Pryor, a special commission has studied how Alabama decides who goes to prison for what crime and how long someone serves. The commission's report was recently given to the Legislature. Last week, at a civic group's meeting, Pryor endorsed it. While that comes as no surprise, it did allow Pryor to underscore once again that what he and the commission are about isn't being "soft on crime" or trying to decriminalize drug laws or undercut any other issue dear to the hearts of those who want the laws strictly enforced. In fact, it's just the opposite. Part of what Pryor and the commission want to do is to make sure that the sentences imposed on violent criminals are, indeed, carried out. And they want some semblance of equity in sentencing from one part of the state to another. They also want to spend more money on prisons and correctional officers. But they also want to use community-based programs where those programs make sense. That not only saves the state money, it ensures that the cells will be available for rapists and murderers and violent felons, while first-time, non-violent offenders and those who would benefit from drug programs can be rehabilitated. Pryor wants to avoid, for example, the egregious situations that are all too prevalent in the news - people guilty of heinous crimes drawing lighter sentences than those who have disobeyed the state's draconian drug laws. The decisions that the Legislature makes on how to implement the commission's findings are important, but equally so will be the assurance that people convicted of similar crimes anywhere in the state will get approximately the same sentences, regardless of race or status. That, sadly, is not the case now. Coincidentally, Pryor's nomination for the federal judgeship - which will undoubtedly draw questions, and probably opposition, from some liberal U.S.. senators - may play in his favor in getting the Legislature behind the reform. Pryor's conservative credentials are impeccable. What he's fighting for in overhauling the state's sentencing practices is common sense. The new national spotlight that will shine on him in his judgeship hearings may increase the potential for legislative and public acquiescence to much-needed reforms. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex