State Senator Wants New Criminal Penalties To Come With Price Tag

Legislation that adds a price tag to new criminal penalties has passed a legislative committee.

Currently, new laws that either impose new penalties or increase existing ones do not have to include an estimate of the cost to taxpayers that result from imposing the penalties. Senate Joint Resolution 5 sponsored by Senator Lena Taylor will change that.

Taylor hopes if approved, it will prompt lawmakers to take a breath before passing laws just because they are tough on crime. She cites a bill passed in 2009 that allowed a judge to add 5 years to the sentence of anyone convicted of a sexual assault on a child.

“One person sentenced under the provision of the bill would have added at least $150,000 to the state cost for incarceration. One person. This joint resolution is about making informed decisions, not from the hip – knee-jerk decisions – but just decisions that are sound, that are just, that are informed and that are fiscally responsible.”

There is no apparent opposition to the resolution and Senator Jennifer Schilling says she is hopeful it will prompt lawmakers to seriously consider more cost effective ways of sanctioning law breakers.

“I think we can take a good hard look and have a discussion about what these costs will be as we bear them out for taxpayers, and if there are other things that we can do to reduce recidivism and do some alternative treatments when you look at the cost and the dollars and cents of incarceration.”

Even if the proposed rule passes, backers will not know its effect until lawmakers consider the cost of the next criminal penalty bill.