Crime and incarceration rates are falling in Pa.

Sec. of Corrections appears on Smart Talk with details

• Scott LaMar
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Scott LaMar has worked in both radio and television for more than four decades.
  
  Currently, LaMar is the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on WITF-FM, 89.5 & 93.3 in Harrisburg, Pa.
  
  Previously, LaMar was WITF TV’s Sr. Public Affairs producer and produced the station’s award-winning weekly public affairs TV program, Smart Talk.
  
  In addition to his on-air duties, LaMar has moderated political candidate debates, including those for candidates running for Pennsylvania governor and the U.S. Senate and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
  
  LaMar often emcees or moderates local events and has gone as far as California to emcee a national event.
  
  The American Society of Civil Engineers honored LaMar with their national Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. He has been nominated for five Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
  
  LaMar and The Spark have been recognized throughout the Central Pennsylvania community including ADVOZ Lancaster’s “Dignity in Dialogue Award”, the South-Central Assembly’s “Regional Citizen Award” and was named a “Humanitarian Hero” by The Humane Society of the United States/Pennsylvania.
  
  A native of Coatesville, Pa., LaMar has also worked as a broadcast news anchor, sports play-by-play announcer and manager.

Courtesy of iStock.

Crime rates have dropped in Pennsylvania by 45% over the past 20 years. At the same time, Pennsylvania’s prison population fell by almost 1,500 last year — the biggest one-year decline ever.

Those numbers come from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of criminal justice reform over much of the past decade. Efforts have been made to being “smarter” on crime and punishment. That includes making sentences for those of convicted of breaking the law more in line with the seriousness of the offense, taking into account whether a crime was violent or not, helping non-violent offenders to assimilate back into society and getting away from mandatory sentencing laws.

Alexandra Stein

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel appears on Smart Talk January 22, 2020.

Proposals are still being considered to reform probation rules. The number of people on probation in Pennsylvania ranks number five in the nation.

Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel appears on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss the crime and incarcerations rates, along with other issues.