Video & Transcript Research : 'prison reform'

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NV
Transcript Highlights:
  • session today is Senate Bill 35, which revises provisions governing certain offenses relating to prisoners
  • Senate Bill 35 revises provisions governing certain offenses relating to prisoners.
  • And Assemblyman York, I'm happy to accept an amendment to include all male prisons as well if the funding
  • These prisons and jails get most of their evidence-based programming from what's called the National
  • So, Director, and you know I ran a prisoner reentry program years ago before coming to Nevada, and family
Bills: SB60, SB85, SB323
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

PBS Public Hearing - Fri Feb 6, 2026 @ 8:30 AM HST

Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Bureau of Prisons tried same thing.
  • The Bureau of Prisons tried this<01:51:41.199> as<01:51:41.440> well<01:51:42.000> and
  • Testimony in support from Community Alliance and Prisons. Miss Cat Brady.
  • It is a coalition of directly impacted and allied organizations in support of this bill to make prison
  • prisoners. That's concerns me. prisoners. That's concerns me.
Bills: HB676
Summary: The committee heard three public safety bills. HB 2235 would appropriate $1.3 million for the Military Affairs and Community Relations Office to strengthen coordination on military and defense issues. Supporters, including the Hawaii National Guard and DBEDT’s military relations office, said the office helps Hawaiʻi understand federal contracting, USA Jobs, and military-related economic impacts. One member questioned why the state should fund a DoD-related office while Hawaiʻi remains under-reimbursed on impact aid; supporters responded that the office serves Hawaiʻi communities and helps prepare residents for federal jobs. The chair said she intended to recommend the bill pass with a HD1, a blank appropriation to be filled in the committee report, technical amendments, a defective effective date, and updated office title language. HB 2263 would expand Hawaiʻi family leave law to cover qualifying military exigencies. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, DBEDT’s military relations office, and the Hawaii National Guard supported the measure, saying military families often face short-notice deployments, relocations, briefings, and urgent family arrangements that require time away from work, and that aligning state law with federal standards would provide clarity and consistency. The chair said she would recommend passage with a HD1, a defective effective date, and technical amendments. HB 2291 would clarify that certain National Guard Youth and Educational Programs employees are excluded from collective bargaining, rename the program, and codify its Hawaiian name. The Hawaii National Guard said it was a housekeeping bill with no appropriation, but requested an amendment to align the bill with updated authorities and program references; the chair asked for proposed language before the later decision-making. She said she would recommend passage with a defective date and the requested amendment if provided, and then recessed the hearing until 11:30 a.m. for decision-making on all three bills.
HI

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

JDC DEFER Public Hearing 02-25-2026

Judiciary

Summary: The Judiciary Committee met on a decision-making agenda and considered four Senate bills. SB 2731 would cap misdemeanor jail terms at 364 days and allow people previously sentenced to one year to seek modification; the chair recommended passage with amendments limiting the change to nonviolent offenses, and the measure was adopted with one no vote. SB 2830 would extend the statute of limitations for misconduct-in-office offenses by public servants to allow prosecution during service and for 10 years afterward; members discussed tightening the definition of misconduct in office while leaving the public servant definition unchanged, and it was adopted with amendments. SB 2914, which would prohibit public disclosure of legislators’ personal contact information and certain voter and campaign records, was deferred because the chair believed existing law already covered much of the issue and wanted to see how that law works over time. SB 3072 would require a mandatory 12-month minimum sentence for first-degree theft involving property or services valued over $250,000; the committee recommended passage with amendments clarifying that the sentence could be imposed as a condition of probation or before parole, and it was adopted with the vice chair voting with reservation. The committee then adjourned.
NV
Transcript Highlights:
  • Now, with the felony, a sentencing judge has two options: prison or something we call the serious offender
  • They apply, and then they're given some very strict sentencing conditions to keep them out of prison.
  • we're trying to do that so we don't get to the third and the fourth with those enhanced penalties and prison
Bills: SB60, SB85, SB323, SB309, SB465
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Corrections Apr 9th, 2025

Corrections

Transcript Highlights:
  • Locking down a prison because of...
  • The role of using inmates to police the prison is also unacceptable.
  • A necessary step to limit, if not stop, drug use in our prisons.
  • and prison staff, including the warden.
  • These individuals do not simply reform.
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee Feb 12th, 2025

Finance and Taxation General Fund

Transcript Highlights:
  • that the cost for the two prisons was going to be $785 million, and that's what we put in the... ...
  • and remodeling one prison.
  • The total package for that then was less than what one prison is now, but we were... one prison is now
  • We were told then that there were going to be so many cost savings by more efficient prisons.
  • There have been at least two or three other states that have gone in for new prisons, and all of them
Bills: SB60, SB103, SB60, SB103
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Public Safety Committee Meeting - 2025-03-28

Public Safety Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • We have about 8,300 individuals incarcerated in our prisons.
  • Also, for your reference, this slide is a very quick visual of the 11 prisons that DOC operates.
  • A couple of items of note: the facility in Shakopee is the state's only women's prison.
  • Cloud serves as the central intake facility for men, and Faribault is the state's largest prison with
  • The current definition only covers those physically working in a prison or correctional facilities and
Bills: HF2432
MN

Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee 3/28/25

Public Safety Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:38:24.599> beds dollar value on on those prison beds dollar value on on those prison beds
  • Currently, we have about 8,300 individuals incarcerated in our prisons.
  • than a century old uh Beyond The Prison than a century old uh Beyond The Prison Walls<01:36:48.040
  • "The facility in Shakopee is the state's only women's prison.
  • <02:29:37.880> and around in the areas of the prisons and around in the areas of the prisons
Bills: HF2432
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Corrections Apr 2nd, 2025

Corrections

Transcript Highlights:
  • I just don't think that private prisons— Should be doing the job of taking care of prisons.
  • public prisons and making them better, our state prisons rather, I should say.
  • The only being one private prison.
  • I know GEO runs some prisons in Texas and MTC also runs some prisons in Texas.
  • prison system.
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Corrections Apr 16th, 2025

Corrections

Transcript Highlights:
  • Cooking prisoners, cooking them.
  • But don't we have other people in the prisons who are not prisoners? The guards. The guards.
  • They meet in 350 groups in over 113 jails and prisons across the state, many of which are Texas prisons
  • After four state prisons, I got transferred to a private prison with air conditioning.
  • Programs in prison.
AL

Alabama 2026 1st Special Session

Alabama House Ways and Means General Fund Committee Feb 11th, 2026

Ways and Means General Fund

Transcript Highlights:
  • pursuant to a required warrant check, the hearing would be required to be held virtually from the prison
  • Talk to Commissioner Ham and something they can work out within the prison.
  • and something they can work out within and something they can work out within the<00:05:09.280> prison
  • 10.240> when<00:05:10.479> you're<00:05:10.720> ready,<00:05:10.960> I the prison
  • And when you're ready, I the prison.
Bills: HB304, HB285, HB312, HB311, SB60
AL

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Ways and Means General Fund Committee Mar 5th, 2025

Ways and Means General Fund

Transcript Highlights:
  • SB60 is a bill that updates our 2021 plan for constructing prisons.
  • We will wind up with the total cost of the Elmore prison at 1.86 billion.
  • We don't have the... inmates in our prisons.
  • Escambia prison that is allocated in the governor's 2026 budget proposal.
  • one prison now and that's going to be three times the cost to build two prisons now, so that helps to
TX

Texas 89th Regular

Criminal Jurisprudence Apr 22nd, 2025

Criminal Jurisprudence

Transcript Highlights:
  • The Texas Bishops support criminal justice reform that provides for compassionate treatment of prisoners
  • The fact of spending 13 years of my life in prison. It started at the young age of 19.
  • But at the young age of 19, my name was ruined by going to prison. I lost...
  • There are people who were wrongfully convicted and went to prison who would not have had the Michael
  • For three decades, I've been interested in criminal justice reform issues since I started visiting prisons
ND

North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division Apr 14th, 2025 at 02:00 pm

Appropriations - Human Resources Division

Transcript Highlights:
  • And that was individuals in both the prison and primarily the county jails.
  • The steering committee works for the women's prison. It's working for the state lab. And I think...
  • Prison. It's working for the state lab.
Bills: SB2015
Summary: The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division met with all members present and took up several bills, focusing most of the discussion on SB 1577 and SB 1619, along with a detailed review of the HHS budget bill draft. On SB 1577, Senator Magrum explained that the bill was being revised to focus on wastewater rather than raw water, possibly shifting the Washburn project to the Department of Water Resources so it could access matching funds, and potentially converting the bill into a line of credit if federal money is restored later. Members discussed whether to keep an emergency clause or instead use a date-based approach, and agreed the bill would likely be handled through the full committee and possibly reconsidered later. On SB 1619, Senator Davison said amendments were still being worked on, including changes requested by the Bank of North Dakota, and the committee planned to hold it for possible amendment before full committee consideration. The bulk of the meeting was a section-by-section review of the HHS appropriations bill draft. Members discussed one-time funding items such as technology projects, child care programs, housing programs, behavioral health facility grants, infant and toddler care provider support, juvenile justice diversion, medical housing, and other public health and human services projects. Several adjustments were noted, including reductions or changes to IMD-related funding, incarcerated-person treatment funding, the child welfare technology project, and the provider rate increase. The committee also discussed the FTE block grant structure at length, with staff explaining that the apparent increase in positions reflected budgeting mechanics, zero-dollar “phantom” positions, and positions approved previously but not counted in the FTE total. Members raised concerns about transparency and whether the bill should list FTE numbers, but staff said the block grant was intended to give the department flexibility while quarterly reporting would provide oversight. Other topics included Medicaid expansion funding and provider reimbursement rules, the move toward certifying human service centers as certified community behavioral health clinics, a moratorium on new ICF beds, and studies or reports on Medicaid, obesity, disability services, truancy, and behavioral health facility grants. The committee also discussed removing or revising broad intent language in Section 31 so the department would report findings rather than implement changes without further legislative action. No final votes were taken in the transcript; instead, members agreed to make a few technical adjustments, continue reviewing the bill, and likely revisit it the next day before moving it to conference committee.
ND

North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division Apr 11th, 2025 at 09:30 am

Appropriations - Human Resources Division

Bills: SB2015
Summary: The Senate Appropriations Human Resources Division met to finalize changes to the human services budget bill and related amendments. Members discussed several items, including a proposed $5 million appropriation for the Altru Hospital project to address inflationary costs, with the rest of the funding question left for conference committee. They also agreed to keep the 10-year operating requirement language for the project and remove a matching-funds provision that was no longer needed. The committee spent considerable time on the OASIS child welfare IT system. Donna Auckland explained that the project is still in the RFP stage, with vendor selection and contract negotiation likely taking months, and that the system will require 50-50 federal matching authority. Based on that testimony, the committee agreed to reduce the general fund amount from $14 million to $6 million and use a line of credit for the remaining authority, while preserving the federal match authority so the contract can be signed and the project can proceed. Members also approved a technical fix to add governor’s designee language for the Children’s Cabinet, which had been missed in another bill already on the governor’s desk. Keith reviewed updated long sheets showing additional budget adjustments, including provider inflation changes, a $50,000 Family Voices grant, reductions to CARES Act COVID funds, and moving the $5-per-day basic care rate increase from ongoing to one-time funding. No formal votes were recorded in the transcript, and the committee adjourned with plans to reconvene Monday if the final bill version was ready.
ND

North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division Apr 10th, 2025 at 02:00 pm

Appropriations - Human Resources Division

Bills: SB2015
Summary: The committee first discussed a wastewater infrastructure bill, centered on whether state support should be provided as a grant or through the existing Clean Water State Revolving Fund as a low-interest loan program. Department of Environmental Quality official David Brushwine explained that the SRF already finances wastewater projects, can leverage federal funds with state bond proceeds, and could accommodate the Washburn, Lincoln, and Peasant projects if they are ready to proceed. Members noted that losing federal grant support would make projects harder for local residents to afford because costs would be recovered through utility rates or special assessments, but the projects would still be eligible for loans. Senator Magrum indicated he would likely concur with the budget after this discussion, and the bill was set aside for later consideration. The committee then turned to a proposed amendment for a four-plex housing project for people with disabilities or other special needs. Senator Mathern described Sections 7 and 8 as creating a design consultation appropriation and a revolving loan fund modeled on existing hospital and nursing home loan programs, while Section 9 would transfer $3.3 million from the state infrastructure fund. Members debated ownership, rent subsidies, repayment terms, and whether the state should finance the project directly or leave it to a private developer with Department of Human Services oversight. Concerns were raised that the state should not own the housing and that the proposal needed more work to be workable, but the committee ultimately reached consensus to adopt Sections 7 and 8 and leave out Section 9 for further conference committee discussion. The committee also reviewed provider inflation and long-term care rate issues, with members discussing whether to support a 2% and 1.5% inflation adjustment and how to handle the $5-per-day basic care rate. Staff explained that the $5 payment was already in the base budget, but members debated whether it should remain ongoing or be treated as one-time funding and paired with a study of rate rebasing. The committee agreed to have draft language prepared to remove the $5 from the base budget and add study language, then moved the bill forward for drafting.