The Daily Iowan WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019 THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COMMUNITY SINCE 1868 DAILYIOWAN.COM 50¢ INSIDE 6 THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019 UISG cuts 24-hour IMU access in new budget Lawmakers at a 8,545 crossroads on prisoners in Iowa The UISG operational budget for fiscal year 2020 ends 24-hour IMU access. Reports show the space was criminal 49% of prisoners are held for justice violent crimes not frequently used after midnight. With more than 8,500 people incarcerated in Iowa, state legislators disagree on how 37.8% criminal-justice should recidivism rate be addressed. BY RYLEE WILSON ning July 1, which includes salaries for UISG Finance Director Adam Burgh- price.” $381.78 [email protected] UISG’s executive, legislative, and judi- duff said students do not frequently use The budget includes $3,000 for the millions budget for Joseph Cress/The Daily Iowan Iowa’s prisons Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds delivers her Condition of the State Address in the State Capitol on Jan. 9, 2018. BY JULIA SHANAHAN have prohibited public employers we’ve ever had.” [email protected] from asking potential employees Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wil- cial branches and funds programming. the IMU in the early morning hours. IMU to remain open 24 hours during about criminal histories on job ap- ton, member of the Iowa House With a steadily rising prison plications. Judiciary Committee, said he does population and recidivism rate The “box” refers to a question not see the political implications in Iowa, Democrats and Republi- that would require a person to in- brought up by Wolfe for Republi- cans in the Iowa Statehouse are at dicate if the person had a felony cans who support criminal-justice a crossroads over whether crimi- conviction on a job application. The reforms such as reducing manda- nal-justice reform was adequately measure would not have applied to tory minimums. University of Iowa students will no Senators moved to end funding to keep “One of the main reasons that was cut finals week and the week immediately addressed during the 2019 legisla- private employers. “Criminal-justice reform passed tive session. Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa [this session] — none of those as- Some bills on criminal-justice City, who cosponsored the bill sumptions apply,” Kaufmann said, reform didn’t make it through when it was introduced in the referring to the omnibus package. the state Legislature during this House, pinned the lack of Repub- Wolfe said that while she doesn’t session, which ended April 27, in- lican support for the bill failing to think there was an adequate push cluding a bill protecting people pass this session. for criminal-justice reform at the longer have 24-hour access to the IMU at the IMU open 24 hours and reduce sala- is we found data that showed there were before finals, and the IMU will remain from criminal defense in the case “Many [Republicans] feel they state level this session, it’s only a of self-defense and another that need to keep punishing people,” matter of time before more sub- would eliminate a question asking Mascher said. “We shouldn’t keep stantive reforms addressing man- about someone’s criminal record putting barriers up for people once datory minimums can pass the on a job application. One promi- they’ve served their time.” Legislature. nent example is Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Senate File 407, sponsored by “[Iowa] should be spending the beginning of the fall semester follow- ries for executive positions while adding fewer than five people most of the time open past midnight on occasion for proposal to add an amendment Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, and more money on rehabilitation and to the Iowa Constitution allowing Claire Celsi, D-Des Moines, offered re-entry and less money on the ac- some felons to vote after complet- restrictions on criminal defense in tual incarceration,” she said. “That’s ing their sentences. cases of self-defense or provoca- an investment. It’s hard to make A criminal-justice omnibus tion. Wahls said in an email to The investments. It’s easier to just to package passed this session with Daily Iowan that the bill was not vote for stuff that locks people up nearly unanimous bipartisan votes. rolled into a larger omnibus pack- longer.” ing a budget cut because of underuse of four new salaried positions. here after midnight. We were paying special programming such as Campus That package includes measures age after a procedural ruling by the The general fund for Iowa pris- that expunge some crimes from Senate president prevented it from ons for fiscal 2019 is $381.78 million. a person’s record and reduce sen- being tacked on. Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Bondurant, tences for Class B felonies. The bill One key priority for Reynolds — Sarah Watson/The Daily Iowan a member of the Iowa House Ju- also allows judges to oppose man- restoring some felons’ voting rights Then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, talks to reporters at the diciary Committee, said he would datory minimum sentences. through an amendment to the state 8th Circuit Judicial Conference in Des Moines on Aug. 17, 2018. counter the notion that there In Iowa, there are 8,545 people Constitution — did not advance wasn’t a push for criminal-jus- the space in the late-night hours. The budget strikes $13,000 in fund- $13,000 a year for five people to be here,” Activities Board events. serving prison sentences, and 49 this session, either. tice reform this session, pointing percent of that population is in- Hagle said that specifically with Incareration Rates by County in Iowa to the omnibus package that re- carcerated for violent crimes, ac- the proposal of restoring felons’ ceived bipartisan support in the cording to the Iowa Department of voting rights, there are historical Iowa House and Senate and gar- Corrections. The number is steadi- disagreements between Repub- nered unanimous votes in both ly increasing. As of 2018, there were licans and Democrats on what chambers. 400 more incarcerated people than constitutes its being not only crim- “I think it’s very clear that you UI Student Government senators ing, which paid for a staff member to be he said. “Those numbers go up to 25 to UISG President Noel Mills said the in 2013 — though Iowa’s 2018 pris- inal-justice reform but also a hu- can be tough on crime but also on population was less than the man-rights issue. smart on crime in a meaningful high point, 8,800, in 2011. “The idea of restoring voting way,” Nunn said. The recidivism rate, or rate at rights for felons is one in particular Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, which people return to prison, has that you get a few people on the Re- spearheaded a sentencing-reform been rising as well. In fiscal 2017, publican side who are in favor of it, bill in the U.S. Senate that received the recidivism rate was 35.4 per- but by and large, it’s not something nearly unanimous support in the voted to approve the organization’s op- present in the IMU between midnight 50 during finals week — we didn’t think cent, which rose to 37.8 percent in [Republicans] are keen on,” Hagle Johnson House and Senate in December fiscal 2018. said. and was signed into law by Presi- University of Iowa political-sci- In 2005, then-Iowa Gov. Tom dent Trump in February. The bill, ence Associate Professor Timothy Vilsack, a Democrat, signed an ex- known as the First Step Act, was Hagle, a deputy director and chief ecutive order that restored voting endorsed by the American Civil of staff in the Office for Victims of rights to felons who completed Liberties Union and a long list of SEE UISG, 2 Crime in 2005-06, said Republicans their sentences. In 2011, then-Gov. other national organizations. erating budget for fiscal 2020, begin- and 7 a.m. that was enough to warrant the $13,000 and Democrats can often agree Terry Branstad, a Republican, re- While the omnibus package on that there needs to be some kind of scinded that order when he took the state level had bipartisan votes, change to the criminal-justice sys- office. Source: Iowa Department of Corrections it did not include some measures tem, but they disagree on how to Reynolds’ measure, despite re- highlighted in the First Step Act approach it. ceiving unanimous support in the that Democrats had hoped would “You always have to be careful Iowa House, ran into a bottleneck emailed through a spokesperson to criminals on the streets in future pass. Those measures include em- throwing out one term [crimi- in the Senate after Senate Judiciary the DI that she would push for re- elections. ployment-assistance programs nal-justice reform], but a lot of Committee Chair Sen. Brad Zaun, storing voting rights next session. “Certainly there are people in my once prisoners are released and re- times, that’s what politicians do,” R-Urbandale, decided not to bring “While the votes fell short in the caucus who are like, ‘No one cares ducing mandatory minimums for Hagle said. “They latch onto some the bill up in committee. Zaun did Legislature, I remain committed to about criminal-justice reform,’ ” young offenders who committed phrase and say, ‘criminal-justice re- not respond to requests for com- getting this done,” she said. Wolfe said. “We’re not going to win violent crimes. form.’ OK, but what is it exactly that ment.