Project for Opportunity and Safety

GOP Governors Push for Criminal Justice Reform

At the age of 18, West Powell stole two car radios. According to his testimony, given earlier this year at the Kentucky State Capitol, he was unable to afford one for his Chevy Cavalier and persuaded his brother to help him steal from a salvage yard in northern Kentucky.

Powell is now 45 years old, leading a crime-free life since his release from prison in the early ’90s and attempting to build a stable life. But his felony conviction makes it nearly impossible to find a job. He still struggles 27 years later with the burden of his nonviolent criminal record.

When he told his story to the Kentucky state Senate Judiciary Committee, the panel’s conservative chairman, Whitney Westerfield, a former prosecutor, decided to take action. He was determined to solve the challenges that prevent people such as Powell from returning to work and getting away from a continuing cycle of crime.

For years, the fear of accusations on being “soft on crime” caused lawmakers to block ideas that would allow ex-offenders to erase a non-violent offense from their record and pursue gainful employment opportunities. Nevertheless, Westerfield took a stand, supporting individuals who have paid their debt to society and seek to stabilize their lives to avoid a relapse into criminal behavior.

He also made the case that common-sense, conservative reforms would cut wasteful spending, as well as make government more effective and our communities safer.

Just as Westerfield is driving conservative reforms in Kentucky, state legislators across the country are advocating alternatives to incarceration for low-level offenders, eliminating ridiculous laws that penalize behavior that should never have been criminal and making easier the re-entry process for returning citizens.

Recently, Westerfield achieved overwhelming agreement from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Matt Bevin (pictured) to clear the criminal record of low-level offenders after a five-year crime-free period. More than 60,000 Kentuckians will now have the opportunity to wipe their slates clean, find good jobs and support their families.

Federal prisons, state penitentiaries, and city and county jails across the country are filled to capacity — and in many cases, well beyond capacity — at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars per inmate per year. All told, as a nation, we are spending a staggering $80 billion a year on corrections.  With a recidivism rate hovering around an abysmal 40 percent, we must consider new ways to stop the revolving door of incarceration that only creates more victims.

This is why conservative state leaders, starting in states like Texas, Georgia and South Carolina, first championed smart justice reforms that safely reduced exploding prison populations and improved re-entry programs.

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