Governor Reynolds. (file photo)
Governor Kim Reynolds is forming a committee to develop a new set of criminal justice reform recommendations.
“To build on the ‘second chance’ initiatives that I started last year,” Reynolds says.
Reynolds says the group’s first task will be to come up with policies that support people when they leave prison, so they don’t wind up committing another crime and being sent back to prison.
“We’ve got some great updates for some of the things we’ve done,” Reynolds says, “so we’ll be looking at what else we need to do.”
She also wants the committee to examine proposals that address racial bias in Iowa’s criminal justice system. Reynolds plans to continue her push for a constitutional amendment that would automatically restore voting rights to felons who’ve completed their prison sentences. A key Republican senator tabled the idea during the 2019 legislative session.
(Thanks to Iowa Public Radio’s Katarina Sostaric)