Sweeping cuts to drug sentences
Published 3:28 pm Saturday, April 30, 2016
ST. PAUL — Minnesota county attorneys and law enforcement officials said they’ve reached a deal to make broad reductions to prison sentences for drug offenders.
Legislation unveiled Friday would trump changes set in motion by the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission late last year. The proposed reductions would still reduce sentences for first- and second-degree possession and sale charges while reserving harsher treatment for bigtime drug dealers.
It’s a way to free up prison beds as the state grapples with overcrowding and ensure drug addicts aren’t simply put behind bars. But the new plan still needs to be approved by the Legislature.