2016 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Crime
Robert Bentley:
Construct four new state-of-the-art prison facilities
Alabama is about to embark on a complete transformation of the state's prison system. We will permanently close the doors to decades-old facilities where maintenance costs have skyrocketed and increased staff are needed. These outdated prisons will be
consolidated and replaced by four, newly constructed state-of-the-art facilities. And by building a brand new female prison facility, the State of Alabama will permanently slam the door shut on Tutwiler Prison for Women.
Funded by an adequate bond issue, we will begin this process within the year. The consolidation and closing of outdated facilities will produce immediate savings for the state with less operational costs, and higher efficiencies in staffing and
maintenance. These larger, more efficient facilities will drastically lower Alabama's prison overcrowding. The money we save with the more efficient prisons will in turn be used to pay off the debt of the construction.
Source: 2016 State of the State address to Alabama Legislature
Feb 2, 2016
Matt Bevin:
Imperative to address backlog of forensic tests
For too long, the Kentucky state lab has carried a backlog for DNA and other forensic testing due to a shortage of resources.
This backlog includes blood alcohol, toxicology, drugs, gunshot residue, arson, fingerprint, DNA, polygraph and other tests whose results can be critical to ensuring justice for survivors of crimes, including rape and sexual assault victims.
We must stop talking about this problem and start solving it.
Funds will be made immediately available to begin addressing the backlogs of untested rape kits and other types of forensic testing.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Kentucky legislature
Jan 26, 2016
Bill Walker:
Restore 'Prison Industries' job skills to reduce recidivism
We are looking into bringing back what used to be called Prison Industries. More than 4,700 Alaskans are incarcerated.
I am a firm believer that the best cure for many social ills is a job. We are exploring opportunities to better prepare prisoners for re-entry into society.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Alaska legislature
Jan 21, 2016
Bill Walker:
Need to reduce costs of prison system
The Alaska legislature has before them a criminal justice reform initiative that is the result of collaboration between all three branches of government--legislative, executive and judicial.
It proposes practical reforms to reduce crime and recidivism rates, relieve overcrowding and improve conditions in our prisons. These reforms could save Alaska up to $500 million over the next decade.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Alaska legislature
Jan 21, 2016
Jack Markell:
Increase services for prisoners to reduce recidivism
Through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, we've given courts risk assessment tools to help determine whether a defendant can remain in the community while awaiting trial.
And we have supported community-based supervision programs as effective alternatives to incarceration for lower-risk offenders.
More than 95% of offenders will eventually leave prison. That's why we have begun to implement a more just and cost-effective
criminal justice system that provides treatment and job training to prepare inmates to contribute to our state when released.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Delaware legislature
Jan 21, 2016
Jack Markell:
Make it easier for felons to vote
Right now, a person with a felony conviction can vote as soon as his or her probation is complete, but only if he or she has paid all fines and fees. People should pay up, but their ability to participate in democracy should
not depend on their ability to pay. Let's join the more than 40 other states that have no financial bar to exercising the most American of rights, the right to vote.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Delaware legislature
Jan 21, 2016
Susana Martinez:
Do away with bail for dangerous criminals
Every judge should have real-time access to the criminal background and history of defendants who appear in their courtrooms--so that sentencing and bail decisions can be made with that information.
And we need to amend our Constitution to allow judges to keep the most dangerous criminals in jail--without bail.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to New Mexico legislature
Jan 19, 2016
Susana Martinez:
Beef up three strikes law, allow for curfews
Look at our three strikes law. It sounds tough, but it was worded so that it didn't mean anything. No one has ever been incarcerated under that law. Let's put real teeth into it, so we can keep those who commit repeated violent felonies--who repeatedly
prey on innocent families--behind bars for life. In addition, skipping out on parole should be a 4th degree felony, and I fully support the bipartisan effort to allow local communities to adopt curfews if it's necessary to keep us safe.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to New Mexico legislature
Jan 19, 2016
Earl Ray Tomblin:
Take preventative approach to juvenile justice
Following recommendations from my Commission on Juvenile we launched comprehensive juvenile justice reform that provided $600,000 in new funding to establish truancy diversion programs in each county. Since launching its own program
in 2010, Putnam County has seen significant improvements in overall student attendance and achievement. Truancy referrals have dropped in half and four-year graduation rates have increased from 78% to 90% during that same period.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to West Virginia legislature
Jan 13, 2016
Chris Christie:
De-criminalizing drug use has reduced prisoner population
Four years ago I also stood in this chamber and called for us to fundamentally change the way we treat nonviolent criminals who are in the thralls of the disease of addiction. Through the reforms we delivered, like mandatory drug court,
we have a smaller prison population today and we are closing a traditional state prison--Mid-State Prison--which I propose today that we open as a fully dedicated, certified drug abuse treatment facility for New Jersey prison inmates.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to New Jersey legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Dennis Daugaard:
High rates of incarceration does not increase public safety
[In 2013] I spoke about SD's high imprisonment rate for adult offenders--higher than any of our 6 neighboring states. Continuing on that path would have forced the state to build a new women's prison and a new men's prison within 10 years. Worst of all,
our high imprisonment rate wasn't making the public any safer. Today, because of the Public Safety Improvement Act, the prison population is below initial projections & we saved millions of dollars last year by avoiding the need for a new women's prison.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to South Dakota legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Dennis Daugaard:
Reforms reduced population on parole
Thanks to criminal justice reforms, the parole success rate increased from 37% of offenders in FY12 to 65% in FY15. Today, parolees can reduce the duration of their parole by a month for each month of parole in which they are
100% compliant. In just one year, over 700,000 days of parole credit were earned. That's nearly 2,000 years of parole credits earned.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to South Dakota legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Terry Branstad:
Rehabilitation over punishment to reduce recidivism
We are seeing a decline in our prison population and a reduction in recidivism. We are more focused on providing individuals with skills they need to have rewarding careers upon release, including apprenticeships within the institutions.
The Department of Corrections has reduced phone fees as increased communications between inmates and their families can lead to a lower rate of reoffending. And in many cases, tax dollars are better spent on rehabilitation rather than incarceration.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Iowa legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Terry Branstad:
Investigate wrongful convictions, especially for racial bias
We need to take steps to make sure that when our criminal justice system does impose punishment, that we punish the right person and that race does not play a role.In the executive branch we recently established a new Wrongful Conviction Division
to investigate wrongful convictions of innocent people. These efforts will not only bring justice for those who have been wrongfully incarcerated, but will protect public safety by ensuring the right person is held responsible when a crime is committed.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Iowa legislature
Jan 12, 2016
Doug Ducey:
New legislation should require rape kits to be tested
Yet right now, in just Maricopa County alone, there is a backlog of 2,300 rape kits that sit in storage, uninvestigated. All across our state, women await justice, and predators evade the law looking for their next victim. Today, I signed an Executive
Order establishing a special law enforcement team to solve this injustice. My budget will allocate dollars to start the process of clearing these backlogs. I want a plan, to be followed by legislation that requires every rape kit to be investigated.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Arizona legislature
Jan 11, 2016
Doug Ducey:
Move to community based corrections and counselling
And, if we're serious about reducing recidivism--and reversing the growth of our prison population, let's begin by building on the model already working in Pima County: a community corrections center, providing tough love and on-site drug treatment and
counselling.It's time we bring this to the state's largest county, where the most people are transitioning back to life in our community. Let's give them a second chance so they stay clean and never end up back in prison.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Arizona legislature
Jan 11, 2016
Page last updated: Dec 09, 2018