JACKSON, MS – FWD.us Mississippi State Director Alesha Judkins issued the following statement after SB 2123 passed out of the House and Senate:

“The passage of SB 2123 is a tremendous victory for Mississippians. FWD.us joins the chorus of state and national advocates and the many Mississippi families directly impacted by extreme sentencing in applauding the Mississippi State Legislature for advancing legislation that will expand parole and restore hope for many, and reduce Mississippi’s dangerously high prison population. We urge Governor Reeves to sign it without delay.

“While the passage of this legislation is an important step in the right direction, we are devastated that lawmakers refused to move HB 1024 out of conference to final votes. That legislation would have begun the long-overdue work of addressing the state’s harmful habitual laws that have cost this state so many dollars and lives. Last-minute political calculations left HB 1024 buried in conference after multiple successful floor votes. There is only one remedy left: Governor Reeves must now build a commutation plan to bring the thousands of Mississippians serving unjust and unnecessary habitual sentences home where they belong.

We urge Governor Reeves to sign SB 2123 immediately and implore him to commute the sentences of the individuals left behind by the demise of HB1024.”