Date: March 26, 2025
To: Representative Myers, Chairman, and Members of the House Crime and Public Safety Committee
From: Gwen Smith-Moore, Criminal Justice Policy Manager, Empower Missouri
Re: Support for HB 591
As the largest and oldest anti-poverty non-profit in our state, Empower Missouri is committed to improving the quality of life for all Missouri residents through advocacy. Since our inception, Empower Missouri has focused on the criminal justice system and its impacts. Our Community Justice Coalition consists of community advocates and organizations from across the state who work with those who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Many coalition members are formerly incarcerated or have currently incarcerated loved ones, and all are connected by a vision for a future without mass incarceration.
We are providing testimony today in support of HB 591, which would create the Missouri Violent Crime Clearance Grant Program wherein the Department of Public Safety would prioritize grant funding for jurisdictions with low clearance rates and a commitment to working with organizations and government entities to reduce violence crime. Decades of research show that harsh sentences are not an effective crime deterrent, and a more effective deterrent is the certainty that you will be caught. However, in 2022, 64% of violent crimes reported to police in Missouri were not solved. Focusing public dollars on improving crime clearance rates is one of the most impactful avenues Missouri can pursue to address public safety concerns, and the program proposed in HB 591 is a compelling strategy for our state.
Empower Missouri urges this committee to take action to pass HB 591 into law. Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.
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