Latest news with #SenateBill371
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee reflects on Morgan Nick case
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is looking back, remembering Morgan Nick, the efforts to find her, and the hope that still lingers despite the decades gone by. It's a call to never forget. 'I think every parent in Arkansas had this immediate sense of not just grief but a deep ache in our hearts as parents to know that this mother had her child at a ballgame, and then she was gone,' Huckabee said. Gone for 30 years as of June 9, 1995. 'I just remember on the night that this happened, and, of course, the news broke the next day,' Huckabee said. 'I was Lt. Governor when the story came out about Morgan Nick's abduction.' The following year, Huckabee was elected as the 44th governor of Arkansas, maintaining a strong connection to the case and the Nick family. 'I was able to meet Colleen fairly soon after all this happened, [and] I have remained in touch with her all these years. She's one of the most remarkable people I've ever met,' Huckabee said. Remarkable and determined, Colleen Nick continues her fight and hasn't given up on getting answers about her daughter's disappearance. 'I think many of us wanted to encourage Colleen. It turns out she was the one who encouraged us,' Huckabee said. All while helping others at the same time through the Morgan Nick Foundation, which assists with more than 1,000 missing person cases each year, turning her worst fear into a tool for other parents going through a similar case. 'I was blown away that here was a mother who had been looking for her daughter and had no idea where she was or if she was safe. But she didn't curl up in a fetal position and give up. She took her energy, and she started using it—first, obviously, to find Morgan, but then to say to parents, 'Here are things you need to be aware of. Don't let your child out of your sight. Make sure you have a good understanding of your surroundings,'' Huckabee said. 'It was very obvious that without Colleen and her advocacy for missing children, some of these important pieces of legislation would never have happened.' One of those was Megan's Law, which requires authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. 'I just think that anything that a legislative body can do, whether it's to increase the penalties, more resources to law enforcement, to do a better job at being able to quickly identify those who have been abducted [is necessary],' Huckabee said. 'We won't stop till we find her': Driven by Morgan Nick case, Arkansas forms cold case units The most recent bill passed in the Natural State, Senate Bill 371, recognizes the Morgan Nick Foundation. The law establishes a new reporting system for missing children who do not meet the minimum reporting criteria to issue an Arkansas Amber Alert. 'How do you say no to a mother who comes to the state capitol, who shares her story with such a level of articulation and eloquence, and yet does it not with anger, not with bitterness, but just with the broken heart of a mother who now wants to make sure that no one else ever has to experience it,' Huckabee said. 'She had an impact on every legislator. She had an impact on me.' The common sentiment—'It won't happen here'—acted as a wake-up call to many Arkansans following 6-year-old Morgan's disappearance. 'We're a small-town kind of state. Most people know each other, and they know their neighbors, and these kinds of things don't happen,' Huckabee said. 'But it does… and it did.' The question also remains. 'Sometimes I wonder if the technology of today had been in existence when Morgan was abducted, would we have found her,' Huckabee said. 'I'd like to think we would have had a much better chance because images would have been instantly available, a description of the pickup truck that was believed to have taken her away, DNA evidence that was in its infancy—if it even existed at all in places.' Three decades later, the same law enforcement agencies, family, and friends who stood with them then still stand with them today. 'I wish that Colleen had been able to watch her grow up, watch her go to the prom, watch her graduate, watch her get married, watch her bring grandchildren into the world for her. She didn't get to do any of that,' Huckabee said. 'I pray that someday—I pray that I live to see it—that Colleen finds out what happened to Morgan.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
West Virginia's Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation is doing something right
A recent report found that West Virginia's recidivism rate is lower than all but four states. (Darrin Klimek | Getty Images) 'Our correctional industry leaders and employees have recognized that operating a successful prison system includes preparing the incarcerated population for a productive life outside of the system. This effort involves parole and probation agencies, social service providers, work-release employers, and support from the community.' — Joe Thornton, former Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety (DMAPS) West Virginia is sometimes unfairly criticized by outsiders that are unaware of the state's many positives, such as its friendly people and beautiful, scenic mountains. But even the state's residents may not be aware of some of West Virginia's other accomplishments. For example, the successful rehabilitation of people exiting state prisons. A recent report by Suzuki Law found that West Virginia's recidivism rate is lower than all but four states. This positive finding is consistent with a PEW survey taken more than a decade ago which also found West Virginia to have the fourth lowest recidivism rate. More broadly, the American criminal justice system must do more than just say 'goodbye' to discharged inmates; it must take pro-active steps to help with a very difficult transition. As indicated below, such action results in all of us being safer and lessens our tax burden. A large portion of the world's total inmates are here in the United States, where almost a half million new inmates enter the system each year. Currently, we have nearly 2 million people incarcerated, the majority in state prisons at tremendous cost to state taxpayers. And 1 out of 5 are in jail due to mostly non-violent drug offenses. States like West Virginia with lower recidivism rates have more effective programs for dealing with people convicted of crimes and eventually released. While West Virginia's 24% recidivism rate may sound high to the uninformed, it is less than half that of Delaware (65%), the highest state. And West Virginia's historically lower rate did not simply happen by accident, prison reform has been a priority for a while. In 2013 and 2015, Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and West Virginia's Legislature made a very conscious decision to identify and employ 'scientifically validated' 'best practices' to improve the state's justice system, for both youth and adults. In a rare illustration of how government can — and should — work, both the GOP and the Democrats agreed on the need for reform. Then, together, they accomplished it, all without pointing fingers as is so common in 2025. Senate Bill 371 (2013) enacted reforms regarding the adult offender system. The Justice Reinvestment Initiative employed assessment and treatment of 'behavioral health and substance abuse' to reduce recidivism. Instead of incarceration, the state established 'day report centers,' successfully utilizing 'treatment and recovery services' versus incarceration. Senate Bill 393 (2015) zeroed in on 'at-risk youth' where they lived, providing them with home-based guidance and mentoring. Previously, these children were committed to youth detention facilities, i.e. jails. As a state planning and budgeting senior analyst, I visited and evaluated such facilities in Georgia in the 1970s. I guarantee you that they were problematic, as well as personally disturbing. It is a true shame that other red and blue states with high recidivism rates — such as Delaware, Alaska, Arkansas, Rhode Island and Colorado — have not come together to install scientifically based reforms that have been proven to be successful in West Virginia and other more enlightened states. Per one legal expert, 'By adopting evidence-based rehabilitation programs and supporting former inmates in their transition back into society, we can reduce recidivism rates, improve public safety, and ease the economic burden on taxpayers.' High recidivism can be reduced by providing inmate educational and rehabilitation opportunities, and support after release from prison including employment assistance, housing and education. But the first step is to recognize that there is a problem. Jim Rubenstein, a past WVDOC Commissioner, once stated, 'I am proud of our staff's commitment to the WVDOC's goal of reducing offender recidivism.' Mr. Rubenstein, everyone reading this column will agree. I just hope other states will follow in your footsteps. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposal raises penalties for crimes at Las Vegas Strip, Nevada resorts
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Judges sentencing a person for a crime at a Las Vegas resort could have more penalties in their toolbox should a Republican state senator's bill become law. Introduced Monday, Senate Bill 371, from Republican State Sen. John Steinbeck, would create additional penalties for crimes at Nevada resort hotels with more than 200 rooms and a casino. Under current Nevada law, judges can sentence a person to an enhancement in certain crimes. For example, a judge may impose a harsher sentence if the victim of a crime is 60 years or older or if the defendant used a deadly weapon to commit a crime. In the case of Robert Telles, the ex-politician found guilty last year of murdering investigative reporter Jeff German, a judge added a minimum of eight years to his sentence because of the weapon and German's age. Should Steinbeck's proposal become law, a judge could double a person's sentence and require the additional time to be served consecutively. For example, right now based on state statute, if a person is found guilty of robbery on the Las Vegas Strip, they could face a sentence of anywhere from one to 20 years in prison. Under this proposal, a judge could sentence a person to 4-10 years with an additional 4-10 years because the crime happened at a resort. The proposal did not have a hearing scheduled as of Monday. Judges hearing cases involving arrests on the Las Vegas Strip can restrict a defendant's access to the area while the case is pending. Las Vegas Justice Court implemented a Resort Corridor Court several years ago but closed the program in 2024. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
