House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans in the Iowa House will seek longer prison sentences for people who’ve previously been convicted of violent crimes. Grassley points to the man accused of stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee to death on a train in North Carolina in August. The man, whose family said he suffered from mental illness, had over a dozen prior arrests and had served five years in prison for armed robbery. Grassley said violent offenders with a laundry list of past criminal behavior should face longer prison sentences, with no leeway for judges or parole boards to reduce the prison term. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison is working on the details of an anti-crime package, which he said will be focused on habitual violent offenders.
