Governors Address Sentencing and Corrections Reforms at Annual Meeting

The National Governors Association devoted a plenary session on sentencing and corrections reform at its August meeting in Milwaukee. With 13 governors in attendance who have played leadership roles in advancing legislative changes in their states, NGA’s current chair, Governor Markell (D-DE), moderated the discussion as Governors Daugaard (R-SD) and Abercrombie (D-HI) presented on their states’ reform efforts. The session was telecast on C-SPAN.

According to a Pew public opinion survey conducted in 2012, the vast majority of Americans support sending fewer low-risk, non-violent offenders to prison, as well as reinvesting [in] community-based sanctions, in treatment and reducing prison terms for non-violent offenders with good behavior. The end result is that a number of states have been able to enact sentencing and corrections reforms driven by data and analysis, which are evidence-based and maintain public safety while reducing costs.Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D)