Sand Mountain Reporter

Marshall County will take part in a pilot program that could lead to big changes in how Alabama sentences some offenders.

The Cooperative Community Alternative Sentencing Project is expected to lead to new, broad ranges of effective community-based punishment and intervention programs for nonviolent offenders.

In announcing the program last week, Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb said the program should reduce the number of repeat offenders and make better use of state resources.

Cobb and the Alabama Sentencing Commission chose the four jurisdictions – Lawrence, Jefferson, Marshall and Montgomery counties – and will implement the program over the next year.

Marshall County’s district attorney, Steve Marshall, said the project would be set up to “find targeted, individual ways to deal with offenders” to avoid recidivism.

“Basically what we’re going to do is bring to the table everybody that is on the sentencing side … to be able to look at individual offenders,” Marshall said.

He stressed that the program includes ways to examine the sentences to ensure they are providing the proper punishment and rehabilitation.

“The beauty of this down the road, at least for me, is it will have a true evaluation component to what we’re doing,” he said.

Marshall said the drug court program has a recidivism rate of less than 10 percent. The rate is much higher – 60 percent or more – when offenders simply go to jail.

Presiding Circuit Judge Howard Hawk said there are other benefits.

“I think some of what’s been driving this is a desire by the chief (justice) and by others in state government to get toward truth in sentencing, where if we sentence somebody to ‘x’ amount of time, they do ‘x’ amount of time,” he said. “The other factor at weight here is money.”

He said some people convicted of drug possession are taking prison beds that could be used better for murderers or those convicted of attempted murder.

Hawk said he and the program want to be sure the community is protected while at the same time getting nonviolent offenders in programs that can help them avoid future crimes.

The judge said Marshall County was selected in part because local officials, the court system and community corrections organizations “play well together.”

“We also have resources here that a lot of counties don’t have in the alternative area,” Hawk said.

Hawk credited Marshall for his help in getting the county in at the beginning of the groundbreaking program.

“Steve has been a driving factor here because he wants to make sure those who need to be in prison are there, but this is an example where he and Judge (Tim) Jolley have gone above and beyond to get another service and more help to this county,” he said.

“I think it means we get our best bang for our taxpayer dollar.”

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Serving Albertville and the Sand Mountain region

Publisher: Ben Shurett

1603 Progress Drive
Albertville, Alabama 35950

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