Taking a major step forward to make South Carolina a safer place to live through sentencing and corrections reforms, the South Carolina General Assembly overwhelmingly passed the Omnibus Crime Reduction and Sentencing Reform Act (S. 1154) when the Senate concurred unanimously in the House amendments to the bill. The bill now goes to Governor Mark Sanford who has publicly supported the legislation and is expected to sign it.

“This action, taken by the General Assembly, is a perfect example of what can happen when legislators set partisanship aside, objectively review the problems facing our state and address them with comprehensive and evidencebased solutions,” said Senator Gerald Malloy, lead sponsor of S. 1154. “This success would not have been possible without Rep. Keith Kelly, who shepherded this bill through the House and fought hard to preserve the bills’ comprehensive reforms, based on recommendations from the report issued by the Sentencing Reform Commission,” remarked Senator Malloy, who served as Chairman of the Sentencing Reform Commission. Senator Malloy also thanked Senator Glenn McConnell, President Pro Tempore and Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, for his leadership in supporting the Sentencing Reform Commission and reforms instituted by S. 1154.

Senator McConnell praised the members of the General Assembly stating, “The passage of sentencing reform is a huge victory for the people of South Carolina. Not only will we save millions of dollars for taxpayers, we will also save the peace of mind of residents who can go to the store and go to bed knowing that those who should remain behind bars for a long time will do so. This bill also shows what can happen when the General Assembly works together for the common good. I would commend the bipartisan group of legislators, particularly Senators Malloy, Campsen, and Knotts, who made this law a reality.”

“Today, South Carolina is a national leader in the area of sentencing reform,” said Rep. Kelly. “We have tackled this issue headon, and are charting a course for other states that seek to use research–driven policies to improve public safety and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.”

The comprehensive legislation resulted from the bipartisan South Carolina Sentencing Reform Commission’s extensive yearlong examination of the state’s sentencing practices and correctional system.

As Senator Chip Campsen, a member of the Sentencing Reform Commission, stated, “This landmark sentencing reform legislation focuses on reducing recidivism and thereby saves the taxpayers by being smart on crime.” Another member of the Sentencing Reform Commission, Senator Jake Knotts, said “This is not soft on crime legislation. In fact, this is a cost–effective tough–on–crime bill, with the interest of the taxpayers being served best.”

The Commission requested technical assistance from the Pew Center on the States. Pew, along with its partners, the Crime and Justice Institute and Applied Research Services, Inc., assisted the Commission in analyzing trends and taking a data-driven approach to developing policy options. The bill addresses four areas:

• Ensures there is prison space for high–risk, violent offenders, and that those offenders serve longer terms in prison;

• Requires supervision for offenders leaving prison so they cannot simply disappear into South Carolina communities without any oversight;

• Improves supervision for those on probation and parole so that there are incentives to remain crime and drug–free and transition from tax burdens to taxpayers; and

• Implements provisions that improve public safety by getting smart on crime, reducing recidivism, providing fair and effective sentencing options, and employing evidence–based practices that use correctional funding most effectively.

The latest research indicates that the state’s inmate population will increase by more than 3,200, to a total of 27,903 inmates, in the next five years. The added cost to the Department of Corrections budget could be $141 million over the next five years, in addition to approximately $317 million required to create more prison space. S. 1154 will reduce the need to build and operate new prison beds, saving taxpayers millions of dollars that can be used to further reduce crime and increase public safety.