Pubdate: Thu, 1 May 2003 Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO) Copyright: 2003 The Star-Journal Publishing Corp. Contact: http://www.chieftain.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration) SENATE PANEL APPROVES SENTENCE-REDUCTION BILL DENVER (AP) - Nonviolent prison inmates convicted of certain crimes could get their sentences reduced and some parole violators could avoid going back to prison under two bills approved Thursday in a House committee. A third bill that was approved would allow some drug offenders to avoid prison. The bills are designed to extract cost savings from the state corrections system. Together, they would would save nearly $10 million by the 2005-06 fiscal year, sponsors said. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bills. Under Senate Bill 328, inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes on first offenses would earn "good time" at a rate of 12 days per month, up from the current 10 days per month. The change would allow those inmates to be released earlier. It would not apply to those convicted of nonviolent sex offenses. The measure sponsored by Rep. Tom Plant, D-Nederland, was sent to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration. Plant said the bill would save an estimated $850,000 per year by the 2005-06 fiscal year. People who violate their parole for technical reasons could be sent to community corrections rather than prison under Senate Bill 252, sponsored by Rep. Joe Stengel. He said one of three parole violations occur for technical reasons, and sending those people to community corrections would result in estimated savings of $7.7 million in fiscal 2005-06. Stengel's bill would apply only to people convicted of nonviolent felonies except for menacing or sex offenses. It was sent to the Appropriations Committee. Under Senate Bill 318, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Hefley, R-Colorado Springs, penalties for possession of 1 gram or less of any controlled substance would drop, giving judges the option to send a defendant either to probation, county jail or community corrections rather than prison. The program would expire in 2007 unless legislators decide to renew it. Hefley's bill would result in estimated savings of $1.3 million by 2005-06. It was sent to the full House for consideration. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom