Story Archives of 'David Welch'

The vast majority of inmates are eventually released back into Granite state communities, but lately more cities and towns say they want more control over where the most violent offenders or sexual predators can live. The recent controversy over the release of convicted child murderer Raymond Guay, living in the Concord area reopened this debate. We’ll look at what happens when prisoners finish serving their time, and how these policies may be changing.

Guests

• Representative David Welch, state representative from Kingston and member/former chair of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee
• Buzz Scherr , former public defender in New Hampshire and Professor of Law at Franklin Pierce Law Center.

We'll also hear from

• Ken Merrifield - mayor of Franklin, which in 2007 passed an ordinance to restrict residence of newly registered sex offenders
• Michael Iacopino - past president of the New Hampshire Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and co-author of a 2007 national report on sex offender residency restrictions
• Jeff Lyons - Public Information Officer for the New Hampshire Department of Corrections

When house and senate lawmakers negotiate policy compromises at the end of legislative sessions, a perennial concern is how proposed laws affect the state's bottom line. That's not entirely the case, however, with one of this years most high profile bills -- a Governor Lynch-backed plan to get tough on those who commit sex offenses against minors.

In his state of the state address, Governor John Lynch threw his support behind a plan to add 500 beds to the prison in Berlin. Many people think it's a good approach to reducing overcrowding. But others say while adding prison space might be the path of least resistance, it spends too much money on the wrong part of the problem. New Hampshire Public Radio's Jon Greenberg has more.

A House committee has scheduled a hearing later today on a bill that could shorten the prison stays of hundreds of local inmates.

The measure seeks to change the state law that requires inmates serve mandatory minimum sentences.

New Hampshire Public Radio's Josh Rogers reports.

New Hampshire’s prison system won’t be able to comply with legislative orders to cut another 3-point-4 million dollars from its budget.

Lawmakers made the cuts in order to pay for alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders.

But departing Corrections Commissioner Phil Stanley says there isn’t enough staff to let the alternatives succeed.

NHPR correspondent John Milne has the story.