SC: Attorney General wants sentencing reform

South Carolina’s top prosecutor is again pushing for reform in the state’s sentencing laws.
   
Attorney General Henry McMaster testified before the South Carolina Sentencing Reform Commission on Thursday. State lawmakers, judges and Corrections Department Director Jon Ozmint sit on the panel.
   
McMaster pushed a plan last year that would have required all inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences while also creating an alternative court system for nonviolent offenders. The plan died, but he continues to advocate the idea.
   
Parole possibilities for violent crimes were taken away with a 1995 law.
   
Two prosecutors testified overly broad sentencing ranges cause suspects to delay their case until they can stand before judges known for lighter sentencing.