After practicing criminal defense law for just over a year, it is clear that Iowa is in dire need of criminal justice reform.
If elected, some high-level changes I would pursue include:
- Bail/Bond reform to ensure that only those individuals who truly pose a danger to another person or the public at large have no ability to bond out while expanding the use and options available for pre-trial release supervision.
- Decriminalize marijuana while steering prosecutors towards sending individuals with substance abuse issues instead of sending them to prison.
- Pursue legislation to require courts to count each day a person is on probation as 1/2 day towards any prison sentence that is imposed after revocation of probation.
- Categorically prohibit the suspension of the full term of incarceration for which an individual is placed on probation, and capping it at various levels depending on the level of crime.
- For example, if someone is placed on probation after pleading guilty to a serious misdemeanor, the law would preclude the suspension of the full 1 year (365 days) that could be imposed.
- The maximum term of incarceration that can be suspended for serious misdemeanors should be 6 months (180 days).