Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a bill Monday to loosen sentencing for parole violators, ending what had become a bitter dispute between parole officers and the state parole board.
The legislation, House Bill 143, was written to allow the board flexibility for parole violators in need of substance abuse treatment. Under state law, parolees automatically are subject to a 90-day recommittal period if they violate, and the board can only reduce that amount under select conditions. The proposed bill would have allowed the 90 days to be shortened if the parolee entered into a residential substance abuse program approved by the board.
Parole board members said the change would allow those needing treatment to get it outside of incarceration, potentially reducing recidivism and putting them on a path to recovery. The bill passed both the Senate and the House by voice vote, clearing committees with near-unanimity. But it encountered stiff resistance from parole officers, who said it would lead to excessive leniency and undermine the power that the threat of recommitment has over parolees.
After a heavily amended version passed the Senate in January, officers said they still had concerns, and they vowed to lobby the governor to veto the bill if it reached his desk.
In a letter accompanying the decision, Sununu praised the “good intentions” of the bill, but added that it would have “concerning consequences.” Making reference to the criticisms of the enforcement community, he said existing law is sufficient. Parolees already have access to substance abuse treatment in prisons and jails, and the parole board can already reduce recommittal sentences to “aid in the rehabilitation of the parolee.”
“It is concerning that there is strong opposition to this bill by law enforcement and at the same time, there are members of the recovery community who still have questions about its impacts,” he wrote. “This only reinforces the conclusion that more due diligence is needed before we change current law.”
The veto is Sununu’s second ever.
(Ethan DeWitt can be reached at edewitt@cmonitor.com, or on Twitter at @edewittNH.)