Criminal Justice Archives - Empower Missouri

Testimony in Opposition of SB 1294, SB 894, & SB 882 – Instating Mandatory Minimum Percentages

Date: February 18, 2026 To: Chairman Schroer and Members, Senate Judiciary Committee From: Mallory Rusch, Executive Director, Empower Missouri As the largest and oldest anti-poverty…

Testimony in Support for SB 854 and SB 1494 – Clean Slate Access to Record Sealing Legislation

Date: February 18, 2026 To: Chairman Schroer and Members, Senate Judiciary Committee From: Mallory Rusch, Executive Director Re: SB 854 and SB 1494 We are…

Testimony in Support for HB 2592, HB 2834, and HB 2787 – Restoration of Voting Rights

February 2, 2026 To: Chairman Don Mayhew and Members of the Corrections and Public Institutions Committee From: Gwen Smith-Moore, Empower Missouri RE: Support for HB…

The Charles Ellwood Graduate Fellowship

The Charles Ellwood Graduate Fellowship program, named for one of Empower Missouri’s founders and earliest Presidents, will offer 1-2 recent graduates a fully immersive, year-long,…

Testimony in Opposition of HB 2256 – Expansion of Mandatory Minimums

Date: January 28, 2026 To: Chairwoman Parker and Members, House Judiciary Committee From: Gwen Smith-Moore, Criminal Justice Policy Manager, Empower Missouri RE: Opposition to HB…

Testimony in Opposition of HB 2637 – Expansion of Mandatory Minimums

Date: January 28, 2026 To: Chairwoman Parker and Members, House Judiciary Committee From: Gwen Smith-Moore, Criminal Justice Policy Manager, Empower Missouri RE: Opposition to HB…

Testimony in Support to HB 2831 and HB 2695 – Expansion of Good and Earned Time Credit

Date: January 27, 2026 To: Representative Don Mayhew and the Members of the House Corrections and Public Institutions Committee From: Jerika White, Empower Missouri RE: Support…

Testimony in Support of HB 2747 and HB 2047 – Clean Slate Automated Record Sealing Legislation

Date: January 27, 2025 To: Chairwoman Gallick and Members, House Economic Development From: Mallory Rusch, Executive Director Re: HB 2747 + HB 2047 We are…

Action Alert: We Need Sentencing Reform, Not New Prisons

House Bill 2256 and House Bill 2637 would drastically increase minimum prison terms in our state, keeping people behind bars for significantly longer. Research shows…

Action Alert: Transparency and Accountability in the DOC

House Bill 1616 establishes an oversight body for Missouri prisons that is independent, responsible to incarcerated people and their families, and fully staffed and funded.…

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