Iowa governor appoints criminal justice reform committee

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has named 14 officials to a committee she’s created that will make recommendations for removing racial bias from the Iowa criminal justice system and help reduce recidivism among former offenders.

Reynolds says the group’s recommendations will form the foundation of a package of legislative proposals aimed at advancing her second chance initiative which will include her continued push for a constitutional amendment that grants felons the right to vote.

The committee is chaired by Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg and includes leaders from departments of corrections, public safety, the law enforcement academy, the parole board and state public defender’s office.

She’s also included on the committee a county sheriff, a police chief, a county attorney and leaders of the NAACP, a Latino affairs group and a crime victim lawyer from the Iowa attorney general’s office.

The first meeting will be Thursday.

 

Members of the Governor’s FOCUS Committee on Criminal Justice Reform:

Adam Gregg, Lt. Governor (Chair)
Dr. Beth Skinner, Director, Department of Corrections
Helen Miller, Chair, Board of Parole
Steve Bayens, Commissioner, Department of Public Safety
Judy Bradshaw, Director, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy
Jeff Wright, State Public Defender
Bruce Vander Sanden, Director, Sixth Judicial District, Department of Correctional Services
Betty Andrews, President of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP
Rev. Alfonso Perez, Member, Commission of Latino Affairs
John Koufos, National Director of Reentry Initiatives, Right on Crime
Janelle Melohn, Director, Crime Victims Assistance Division, Office of the Attorney General
Jennifer Miller, Marshall County Attorney
Darius Potts, Ankeny Police Chief
Tim Lane, Scott County Sheriff