New Missouri Law to Shrink # Of Those Locked Up

A new bill passed by the Missouri legislature and signed by Governor Mike Parson wipes out mandatory minimum sentences for some nonviolent crimes.

In a story by Alisa Nelson from the Missourinet, the law that was signed into law will help to keep a smaller number of offenders in local jails and state prisons.

A former state Senator from the northeast Missouri town of Williamstown, Brian Munzlinger is a new member of the State Probation & Parole board. In the story Munzlinger states that an evaluation must be made by the parole board for those serving for the minimum for non-violent crimes. From the evaluation a decision is to be made if those offenders should go free.

According to the missourinet.com story:

“A lot of that would be drug charges – minor drug charges,” says Munzlinger.

Also included in the new law, which went into effect on August 28, is the intention to preclude people going back to jail for not paying for their previous jail bills.