Doug Burgum on Crime

	Doug Burgum on Crime

North Dakota has been backing the blue, not defunding

Living in the land of the free and the home of the brave is something for which I know that we're all grateful. In North Dakota, we value and respect police officers who enforce the law, and we value and respect military service members who defend our most cherished freedoms. As some states, and some of the iconic major cities of our nation, in the last 2 years have somehow chosen to tolerate lawlessness, they've chosen to defund their police, North Dakota and our cities, we've been backing the blue. Source: 2022 State of the State Address to North Dakota legislature , Feb 16, 2022

Tightened rules on civil asset forfeiture; curtailed police

Big forfeiture reforms are coming to North Dakota, a state notorious for allowing police to seize and keep people's property without actually convicted them of a crime. Burgum signed House Bill 1286 which seriously curtails law enforcement agencies' ability to arrest somebody, take his or her property, and attempt to keep what they've seized for themselves even when they cannot prove an underlying crime. We're talking about the controversial practice of civil asset forfeiture. Source: Reason magazine on 2024 Presidential hopefuls , May 6, 2019

Reduce mandatory minimums; alternatives to incarceration

U.S. News & World Report summary 2/22/19: Gov. Burgum signed SB2015 and HB1041 into law in April 2017 to lower the number of offenders in the state's system. HB1041 reduced mandatory minimums and presumptive probation guidelines. SB2015 mandated alternatives to physical custody, including drug treatment and home detention. So far, the result has been a 6.5% drop in the state's prison population. These programs are based on findings from Norway, [which] a cohort of N.D. legislators visited in 2015. Creating good neighbors is the goal of the Norwegian prison system, with no mention of punishment or retribution. The concept stands in stark contrast to the "tough on crime" approach system deployed across the US.

Legislative Outcome: HB1041 passed House 86-4-4 on 2/21; passed Senate 42-0-5 on 4/17; signed by Governor 4/17. SB2015 passed Senate 46-0-1 on 4/16; passed House 85-7-2 on 4/17; signed by Governor 4/20/17.

Source: USNWR on North Dakota voting records SB2015/HB1041 , Apr 17, 2017

Jail time without rehab is not a cure for addiction

In his first State of the State address, Governor Doug Burgum urged North Dakotans to embrace change; rethink budgeting, education, addiction treatment, tribal relations.

As drug addiction and overdoses take their toll on North Dakota families, Burgum said the state must start treating addiction differently. Sixty-one people died in North Dakota in 2015 from overdoses, and more than $260 million was spent in the past decade on new jails at the city, county and state levels, he noted.

"Many of those in our system are there because of crimes rooted in addiction. Jail time without rehab is not a cure for addiction," Burgum said. "We need to start treating addiction like the chronic disease that it is. By moving resources upstream, we will save lives and save money."

Source: 2017 State of the State address to North Dakota Legislature , Jan 3, 2017

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