Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg says he’s hopeful the discussion around repealing presumptive probation will continue this summer.
Ravnsborg is waiting for Governor Kristi Noem to sign a bill that establishes a legislative study on offenses regarding controlled substances.
Attorney General Ravnsborg says he still doesn’t believe presumptive probation is working.
During his first legislative session as attorney general, he brought legislation to repeal that component of the criminal justice reform package of 2013.
Ravnsborg says presumptive probation removes the option from judges to sentence people for non-violent, low level drug crimes. In fiscal year 2018, about 17 percent of those sentence went to prison.
The legislature rejected the proposal, in part for an anticipated cost of roughly $40 million over the next ten years.
Ravnsborg says repealing presumptive probation is one part of his platform for the state’s justice system.
“I’ve always advocated for a meth treatment center,” Ravnsborg says. “During the campaign you heard me call it a ‘meth prison,’ maybe that was a harsh term. But, we want to try and get people treatment and it’s very difficult to get off these drugs.”
Ravnsborg says he wants to sit down with the governor, law enforcement and community members to talk about repealing presumptive probation.
Part of that conversation may come up as a legislative study comprised of 15 members is established to study offenses related to controlled substances.