SOUTH CAROLINA SENTENCING REFORM OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE The members and staff of the Sentencing Reform Oversight Committee Work Groups are as follows: Community Supervision Members: Senator Campsen (Ch.) Representative Murphy, Jennifer Davis, Bryan Stirling Staff: Andy Fiffick, Paula Benson
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The South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services (SCDPPPS) has continued to flourish during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Agency staff has shown tremendous resiliency, and made continued strides. Under the leadership of Director Adger, SCDPPPS has managed to reach new heights as well as maintain the course during an unprecedented time in our nation. In 2020 SCDPPPS staff has banded together – virtually – to implement creative ways to telecommute in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many helpful, innovative procedures have been put into place, in particular in the Field Operations Division, the Paroles, Pardons and Release Services Section, and the Office of Administrative Hearings – to enable staff to continue to fulfill the agency’s mission while in quarantine.
Currently parole examiners only conduct pre-release interviews for inmates who are being considered for parole. Parole examiners also facilitate hearings at eight designated SCDC facilities. Increasing the number of parole examiners and supporting management will allow the parole examiner position to expand duties to include pre-release interviews of inmates who are being released to the agency’s mandatory release programs (i.e., Community Supervision, Supervised Re-entry, and Supervised Furlough II). This will also allow SCDPPPS to facilitate hearings at each of the SCDC facilities, minimizing the need for inmate transport for parole hearings.
The South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) represents the public interest of South Carolina in utility regulation for the major utility industries – electric, natural gas, telecommunications, transportation, and water/wastewater – before the Public Service Commission of South Carolina, the court system, the South Carolina General Assembly, and federal regulatory bodies.
Each year, the Energy Office publishes an annual report summarizing the demand-side management (DSM) activities deployed by South Carolina’s electric and natural gas utilities.
The Energy Office has published an annual report summarizing statewide progress in meeting energy use reduction goals.
Alexandra Bailey supports state and local advocates working to challenge the nation’s life sentencing laws. Her priorities include supporting efforts to end life without parole, capping maximum penalties at 20 years, promoting “second look” provisions, and fostering a culture shift that rejects excessive punishments in favor of restorative approaches to public safety. Prior to joining the Sentencing Project, Bailey was a Campaign Strategist and National Organizing Specialist for the ACLU and a Coordinator for Women’s March in Chicago. She has used her organizing skills to win campaigns including voting rights for unhoused citizens, ending the use of 287g ICE agreements, and the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois. Bailey is also an Advisory Commissioner in Washington DC’s Ward 2. She studied organizing and political change theory at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government under Marshal Ganz.
As Executive Assistant, Elysa provides administrative assistance to the Executive Director and ensures organization and smooth functioning across the Operations, Development, and Advocacy teams. Prior to joining The Sentencing Project, Elysa worked at Independent Sector as an Administrative Assistant and at AIPAC as Progressive Engagement Assistant. She also worked on the 2018 Nevada Democratic Coordinated Campaign as a Field Organizer. During the pandemic year, she worked on a supply collection and distribution program and public safety efforts supporting the Black Lives Matter protests in DC. She has a BA in Political Science from the University of Oregon with minors in Women and Gender Studies, Judaic Studies, and Creative Writing.
As a Research Fellow, Emma identifies and synthesizes research on issues relating to felony disenfranchisement, racial disparities in the criminal justice system, life imprisonment, and women’s incarceration. She received her BA with honors from Scripps College, where she majored in Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies and English. Prior to The Sentencing Project, she worked with the Correctional Association of New York, contributing to reports on parole, mental health care in prison, and the effects of COVID behind bars. In 2019, she received a Mellon Foundation grant to research the history of women’s prisons in California, New York, and Washington states, for use in her senior honors thesis. She has also interned with the Seattle Clemency Project, where she interviewed clemency recipients and compiled stories on their experiences with re-entry.
The Sentencing Project’s staff and board of directors represent a diverse group of individuals with expertise in fields including research, policy, advocacy, and law, with a shared passion for criminal justice reform.
Her sentencing reform advocacy was honored in 2011 by Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Prior to her return, Gotsch led the Interfaith Criminal Justice Coalition, a project of the United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society, comprised of 50 national faith-based organizations.
Marc Mauer is the former executive director of The Sentencing Project and one of the country’s leading experts on sentencing policy, race and the criminal justice system. He has directed programs on criminal justice policy reform for 40 years, and is the author of some of the most widely-cited reports and publications in the field, including Race to Incarcerate , Invisible Punishment, and The Meaning of Life: The Case for Abolishing Life Sentences. As Senior Advisor, Mauer provides strategic support to The Sentencing Project's efforts to reform felony disenfranchisement policies and the Campaign to End Life Imprisonment .
Connie Budaci is a Legal Fellow for the Campaign to End Life Imprisonment. Her work supports criminal justice reform initiatives in reducing the use of unduly long sentences and life imprisonment. Prior to joining The Sentencing Project, Connie completed her LL.M. at Columbia Law School, focusing on human rights and social justice. She interned with the TrialWatch Project at the Columbia Human Rights Institute, the Bronx Defenders, and the Center for Public Research and Leadership. Connie previously worked for the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, first as a Judicial Law Clerk, and then as Counsel in the Office of the Chief Justice.