COST-EFFECTIVE JUSTICE

State Moving Toward Sentencing Reforms

State legislators are moving toward reducing Colorado's criminal
justice costs, while emphasizing treatment -- rather than the more
expensive incarceration -- of criminals who abuse substances.

One of these laws is House Bill 1352, which on Friday advanced out of
the appropriations committee on its way to the full House.

The state now houses more than 4,500 prisoners convicted of
non-violent drug crimes under its rarely-reformed state laws that
make possessing even small amounts of drugs a felony.

Keeping addicts out of lengthy, pricey prison sentences, and focusing
on their addictions, will reduce recidivism and slash costs up front.
The bill, based on recommendations from by the Colorado Commission
on Criminal & Juvenile Justice, has wide bi-partisan support, and is
expected to save the state $50 million in the first five years. It
was endorsed by more than 50 community organizations, including
police associations, the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition,
Drug Endangered Children and the Independence Institute.

The law dictates that a portion of the savings be directed to
community-based programs that treat addictions.

The bill marks a triumph of common sense over the desire to punish
scofflaws: It lowers the penalty for just using drugs. It lowers the
charge for small amounts of marijuana, two ounces or less, to a petty
offense to be punished by a fine of "not more than $100." It
includes exceptions for medical marijuana, which is legal in Colorado.

Intuitively, we know that an addict with some cocaine and a dealer
who doles out death for profit are different: The laws too often
treat them the same. This law draws the important distinction between
possessing drugs (other than marijuana) and being involved in the
manufacturing, selling or distributing those drugs. It maintains
felony charges for adults who sell or give drugs to children. It
includes stiff penalties for those with drugs who have deadly weapons
within their immediate reach.

The bill also marks triumph of the commission itself. The group
included a couple of dozen members of the criminal justice system's
often-quarrelsome sides: from district attorneys to public defenders,
judges and sheriffs, victim advocates and treatment providers.

"We're very pleased about the amount of work that we were able to get
done. This body doesn't typically work together as well as it did,"
said Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, the Judiciary Committee Chair.

- -- Erika Stutzman, for the Camera editorial board