State Senate passes criminal justice overhaul bill

Sen. John Coghill, R-North Pole, at a Senate Majority press availability, March 21, 2016. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)The state Senate voted 16-2 on Saturday to pass a bill overhauling Alaska’s criminal justice system.
The bill would divert nonviolent offenders from prison toward alternative programs. It shifts the focus of bail from people’s ability to pay to the risk they present. It also creates a re-entry program in the Department of Corrections, to assist those leaving prison