Lancaster Online: Pennsylvania should seize chance for probation reform
by Van Jones and Holly Harris
You would be hard-pressed to find two politicians more different than President Donald Trump and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. The two men disagree on almost everything. Almost.
In his Feb. 4 State of the Union address, President Trump delivered one shining moment of bipartisanship when he mentioned significant achievements in criminal justice reform. Everyone in the House Chamber, from the most conservative Republican to the most progressive Democrat, stood up to applaud.
Earlier that day, Gov. Wolf delivered a budget address in Harrisburg in which he similarly applauded recent bipartisan reforms the commonwealth has implemented.
It is significant that these two men, who oppose each other on almost every other issue, both chose to lift up bipartisan criminal justice reform achievements in their most important speeches of the year. It underscored how powerful criminal justice reform is as sound public policy and smart politics — and it presents the perfect opportunity for elected officials on both sides of the aisle to do more.
In Pennsylvania, bipartisan legislation to transform a rigged probation process is within reach. The commonsense changes in House Bill 1555 and its companion bill, Senate Bill 14, would make Pennsylvania safer and create more opportunity for its citizens by bringing much needed fairness to the state’s notoriously harsh community supervision programs. The bills are each sponsored by Republicans and Democrats and are supported by a wide majority of voters across the commonwealth.
Bipartisanship isn’t just a “feel-good” concept: It’s the strategic, sustainable approach to positive change. Pennsylvania doesn’t have to look too far back for a good example of that.
In 2018, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle worked together to pass a first-of-its-kind “clean slate” bill. That legislation enjoyed broad support from Republicans, Democrats, law enforcement, business leaders and many others. It’s estimated that the law will seal roughly 30 million court records by this summer, unclogging court dockets and enabling many Pennsylvanians to improve their lives. Already, the law has become a model for other states wishing to break down barriers for their constituents.
The list of those who support HB 1555 and SB 14 is similarly diverse, with groups on the right, left and in between all calling the legislation a no-brainer. New polling shows that Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly approve of the bills across partisan and geographical lines. Overall, 67% of them, including 60% of Republicans and 73% of Democrats, support the legislation.
For some, it’s about the savings that would result from sending fewer people to prison over technical violations that have no impact on public safety. For others, it’s about making Pennsylvania’s government more efficient by reducing the burdensome caseload on the state’s overworked probation officers.
But for many, it’s a personal issue. More than 1 out of every 4 Pennsylvanians say they have a family member who has been incarcerated or placed on probation. Given that almost 180,000 Pennsylvanians are on probation, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Nearly every community in the commonwealth has experienced the human and emotional toll caused by the state’s rigged supervision system. Like most Americans, these folks are tired of partisanship — they just want relief for their loved ones.
The bills moving their way through the Pennsylvania Legislature right now would deliver that relief. HB 1555, though not perfect in its current form, would prevent incarceration for minor technical violations, reduce the amount of time people spend under supervision when they complete courses and exhibit good behavior, and limit the amount of additional time served for probation violations. Its companion bill in the Senate would reform how long Pennsylvanians stay on probation, and the time served in prison for probation violations.
Both measures would increase public safety and make government more efficient by focusing law enforcement resources on those who are most likely to commit new crimes. Many other states have shown that this approach works. Missouri, which reformed its system in 2012, reduced its supervised population by nearly 20% with no change to its crime rate.
With the second-highest rate of people under supervision in the country, Pennsylvania should be the next state to act.
There will continue to be plenty on which Republicans and Democrats disagree. But if even President Trump and Gov. Wolf can agree on this issue, surely the rest of us can do the same. We urge lawmakers to put people above partisanship, and pass probation reform legislation without delay. Opportunities like this don’t come around too often — and Pennsylvania families cannot afford for this one to pass them by.