April 5, 2021 Group Watch: Committee Advances Repeal of Habitual Offender Law
A divided legislative committee advanced a bill to repeal Alabama’s habitual offender law that mandates longer sentences for repeat offenders. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on a 9-5 vote. The bill would do away with the sentencing mandates for new cases and allow some prisoners to have their sentences reviewed. The bill’s sponsor said the mandatory sentences in habitual offender laws have resulted in arbitrarily long sentences.
