Arkansas Senate backs repeat offenders bill
LITTLE ROCK—Arkansas senators have approved a proposal that would require repeat offenders to stay in prison longer even though state prisons lack funding and space.
The state Senate voted in favor of the bill 20-9 on Wednesday, though Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson has promised to veto the legislation if it reaches his desk, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The bill would require offenders who have served three or more stays in the Department of Correction to serve 80 percent of their sentences before being eligible for release.
"We have put such a burden on our sheriffs and our prosecutors," said Republican Sen. Bryan King, who authored the bill. "These people who are incarcerated have had multiple, multiple opportunities to improve their situation, and it hasn't worked."
Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/arkansas/story/2017/mar/23/arkansas-senate-backs-repeat-offenders-bill/666703/