Missouri Democrats seek criminal justice reform

The Missouri House Democratic Caucus and the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus held a news conference Monday to discuss their efforts at reforming the state’s criminal justice system.

The groups met to discuss legislation that includes proposals to end practices that seek money in fines, court fees and other court costs from poor defendants and expungement of marijuana convictions.

The bills introduced include the following:

House Bill 666 — Establishes the Money Bail Reform Act of 2019. House Bill 415 — Requires courts to offer community service to defendants whom the court determines have insufficient income to pay fines, fees or court costs. House Bill 508 — Grants voting rights to people with felony convictions who have been released from prison but remain on probation or parole. House Bill 692 — Raises the amount restitution the state can pay to someone who has been exonerated by DNA testing of a crime for which they were convicted from $50 to $100 for every day spent behind bars. House Bill 292 — Requires courts to expunge records of those convicted of possessing 35 grams of marijuana or less. House Bill 153 — Requires the Missouri Department of Corrections to participate in the Federal Bonding Program. House Bill 42 — Prohibits a child from waiving their right to legal counsel in certain circumstances.

Playback of a live video stream of the news conference is available in the player below.

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