WESTFIELD – State Rep. John Velis is working hard to change bills to repeal minimum mandatory jail sentences for nonviolent offenders.
The reason Velis is opposed to the bills is because the language also includes a repeal for those charged with drug trafficking, including trafficking through children, and repeat offenders.
Velis, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said many people came to committee meetings at the Statehouse last week to testify on the need to repeal the mandatory jail sentence. The problem, he said, is most people did not understand the bills in their entirety.
“People said non-violent drug offenders should not be incarcerated,” said Velis, “but that’s not what this bill is about. A lot of this came from people who think they know what it’s about, but they don’t.”
Bills were written by three legislators, including local Rep. Ben Swan of Springfield. Velis said that even if a particular drug dealer or trafficker has not committed a violent crime, the drug trade leads to violence.
Velis said he doesn’t understand why Swan would support this.
“Springfield has had 12 homicides this year already – you can’t tell me a significant amount of them were not due to the drug trade,” said Velis.
Velis said drug traffickers sell to people who are addicts, and addiction often leads to violent crimes. Velis said Westfield has its own problems with drugs, too.
“We have lost people in Westfield (because of drugs and drug violence). Westfield has people hooked on drugs,” he said. “We can’t as legislators talk about the opiate crisis and then pass a bill like this.”
Velis hopes he and the Judiciary Committee cane create a bill with language that truly refers only to non-violent offenders caught with substances such as marijuana, but leaves out any language that would include drug traffickers in any form.
“If that language does not change, I will be dead set against it,” Velis said.
