North Dakota House Defeats Truth-in-Sentencing

Attorney General Drew Wrigley.  (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

(By: Mary Steurer. North Dakota Monitor) – A divisive prison sentencing bill introduced by Attorney General Drew Wrigley’s office failed in the House after more than 90 minutes of debate by lawmakers.

Senate Bill 2128 sought to make sure inmates in the state prison system spend most of their sentence behind bars.

This included a requirement that inmates spend at least half of their sentence in prisons before they can be eligible for a transitional center or parole.

It also contained provisions that would have established steeper penalties for fleeing and assaulting law enforcement.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 9-5 to forward the bill to House Floor with a do-not-pass recommendation. The House rejected an amendment proposed by the committee, which included language giving lawmakers the option to study parole and the state corrections during the upcoming interim session.