One South Dakota lawmaker says the state needs to fulfill the financial promises of a 2013 criminal justice reform package.
During a summer study on the state’s controlled substances laws, the group also considered three legislative proposals aimed at reducing the recidivism rate.
Senate Bill 70, which is the sweeping criminal justice reform package passed over six years ago, is pushing the cost of dealing with drug crimes from the state down to the county.
A legislative committee is finding that the state has not followed up with the proper dollars to address the intersection of South Dakota’s meth issue and criminal justice system.
Prosecutors still see offenders cycling through the courts, rather than getting addiction treatment.
Republican Steve Haugaard is chair of the Offences Regarding Controlled Substances committee. He says there wasn’t a clear plan on what to do with SB 70 and funding.
“That’s just one of the inherent problems with trying to establish something without having a structure from A to Z to follow through on it and actually fund it,” Haugaard says. “That, I think, needs to change. I think we need to shift resources in the direction of prevention, treatment and supervision. It seems to me that these dollars that would be involved are not as significant as the costs that we’re experiencing in incarceration and all the social costs that go with incarceration.”
The legislative panel is still split on whether to reduce ingestion of a controlled substance from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Lawmakers are also considering an evaluation process for offenders and an incentive program for counties that prioritize diversion programs from prison.
The legislative committee meets on Friday, November 8th, by teleconference, where they’re expected to send a recommendation to the executive board.