The Voyage Movement reflects on Safer Kentucky Act

House Bill 5, also known as the Safer Kentucky Act, went into effect this year. It addresses violent crimes and punishments. One section discusses sentencing, saying violent offenders must serve at least 85% of their sentence.

Terry Dumphord, the founder of The Voyage Movement, says, "It just creates that institutionalized mind at an early age."

Dumphord says he's concerned about how a standard 85% will impact younger people by not considering individuals’ circumstances or offering beneficial resources.

He says, "That's what the federal government requires for an individual who commits a crime. Our state and our local governments are not even requiring 85% so why would we require that for some youth and young adults? Without any mental health assessments, without any alternative sentencing opportunities."

Doyle Lee, the assistant administrative director with The Voyage Movement, says it's important to consider backgrounds and influences ahead of sentencing.

"Social traumas that they've inherited and even indiscretions in their education that's already documented, their home life is already documented but the necessary treatment wasn't involved with the youth at a young age, so we have the same individual who's a little older now without the treatment being taken place of course the action is not going to be removed,” says Lee.

The two don't believe that this is a long-term solution. They'd like to see more alternative forms of sentencing and a variety of resources.

Lee says, "Let's get some job skills in place, let's get GED in place, let's begin to socially develop some of these people... So that we can restore self-esteem."

The organization's leaders do believe that this act will be a deterrent for people who've had lesser punishments in the past. They hope to use this new act as a teaching tool for young people that will discourage them from a life of crime, but they also want to keep looking for a stronger solution.

Dumphord says, "We don't sit back and complain about these acts and these laws, what we do is we say, 'okay, what is our community need? And then how can we provide and fill that gap?'"