People convicted of several serious crimes would face a minimum 20-year prison sentence without parole under a bill advancing in the Iowa House. Mahaska County Attorney Andrew Ritland says he’s prosecuted people with more than 10 separate felony convictions, but each sentence was no more than a year or two. Opponents of the bill say expanding mandatory sentencing could make the racial disparity in Iowa prisons worse. In 2007, it was the worst in the country. The Iowa State Sheriffs’ and Deputies’ Association supports the bill. A lobbyist for the group says the bill would help address repeat offenders by sending a clear signal they face spending two full decades in prison. The bill has cleared a House subcommittee.
