Euer calls for criminal justice reform


EUER

EUER

Legislation sponsored by Jamestown’s state senator to reform the criminal justice system is getting the thumbs-up from Rhode Island’s attorney general.

Sen. Dawn Euer also is sponsoring legislation to strengthen the enforcement of environmental policy.

The package of five bills introduced by Euer is designed to identify ways to relieve pressures on the correctional system, promote rehabilitation and increase public safety. The first bill would amend the Uniform Controlled Substances Act to reclassify possession of 10 grams or less of certain controlled substances as a misdemeanor rather than a felony.

“It’s time we recognize, like many states have, that simple drug possession is not felony conduct,” said Attorney General Peter Neronha, a Jamestown resident. “This commonsense reform, along with eliminating the $100 fee it costs a Rhode Islander to expunge their criminal record — will reduce the impact that drug addiction or a conviction can have on their ability to get a job, find housing, and turn their life around.”

“The changes will allow us to focus jail resources on more serious offenders,” said Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey, Euer’s co-sponsor. “Justice reinvestment saves money through lower incarceration rates, makes communities safer by making offenders less likely to reoffend, and has the potential to transform lives of individuals who need treatment, not incarceration.”

The second bill would allow the sealing of records pertaining to cases when a person is acquitted or exonerated of a charge. It also eliminates the $100 fee for the expungement of a criminal record.

“The $100 filing fee to process expungements is really cost-prohibitive for so many people who are just trying to get back on their feet,” Euer said. “This legislation will make sure that the expungement process is accessible to those who maybe don’t have the financial means to get their lives back on track.”

The third bill would establish that all future legislation having an effect on the revenues, expenditures, fiscal liability, bed space, staff, supervision caseloads or programs of the Department of Corrections, excepting appropriation measures carrying specified dollar amounts, would be accompanied by a financial impact statement that sets forth the estimated dollar effect if enacted.

“As we take a closer look at our justice system and ways to reinvest, it is imperative that lawmakers have a clear picture of the financial impact that each policy change has on our prisons,” McCaffrey said.

The final two bills would expand the classes of people affected by civil rights and hate crimes statutes.

“The work of this office covers a broad spectrum of issues that affect Rhode Islanders every day,” Neronha said. “As we have advanced that work over the first two-plus years of this administration, it has become evident that some of our state’s laws must be updated and enhanced to provide this office with the tools necessary to protect Rhode Islanders and fight on their behalf.”

Euer also is sponsoring legislation that would make technical and procedural amendments to the current law governing the enforcement arm of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Although it does not expand regulatory authority, the bill would modernize the agency’s ability to enforce statutes regarding hazardous waste, solid waste, air pollution and water pollution through an administrative process. According to Euer, the amended rules would be cheaper and less time-consuming, and would “ultimately result in a healthier environment.”

“Rhode Islanders care deeply about our environment and take seriously our obligations to protect it,” she said.

The bill clarifies which entities can enter into remedial agreements with the agency, and makes procedures for appeals more uniform. It also allows violations of oil pollution to be recorded in local land records.

Euer, who represents Jamestown and Newport, serves as chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee. She was elected in September 2017 to fill the District 13 vacancy left by the resignation of Teresa Paiva Weed.