Committee advances bill on alternative sentencing for parent caretakers January 29, 2026 Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville (left), speaks on Senate Bill 122 during Thursday’s meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Joining her is Rep. Nick Wilson, R-Williamsburg (right). A high-resoluti on photo can be found here. FRANKFORT — Legislation that would require Kentucky courts to consider alternative sentences for certain nonviolent felony convictions where the defendant is a primary caretaker of a dependent child advanced in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. Senate Bill 122, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, requires courts, upon a defendant’s post-conviction motion, to consider whether the defendant is a caretaker of a dependent child before sentencing for a felony. If the court finds the defendant qualifies as a caretaker, it must then consider an alternative sentence like probation instead of imprisonment. Rep. Nick Wilson, R-Williamsburg, testifying with Raque Adams on the bill, said that the purpose of the bill is to help offenders to, while rehabilitating, keep their families together. “This isn’t for every parent,” he said. “This is for a parent who’s tried, who wants to be a caretaker, who wants to raise a family.” Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, raised concerns that the bill might create a two-tiered system of justice between caretaker and non-caretaker felons. “We are, somewhat, creating a two-tiered system of justice because a caretaker felon is going to be available for a program that keeps them out of the clink while a non-caretaker felon goes to jail,” he said. Wilson, in response, said that the bill would not create a two-tiered system. Rather, it gives judges another factor to consider when making their sentencing decision. “I simply do not agree with the argument of a two-tiered system. Judges decide on a case-by-case basis all the time. This is just another factor that they are going to take into consideration,” he said. Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, after speaking with judges and representatives from the Commonwealth Attorney’s office, questioned if the bill was necessary given other steps the court takes in their usual pretrial process. “I spoke with representatives for the Commonwealth attorneys, and their overarching view for this bill was that it simply was not necessary. It was a solution to a problem that did not exist, and all of these options are already open to the court through the pre-sentence investigation,” he said. Wilson said that while judges might not think that requiring such a consideration at trial is necessary, it was necessary for the people living with this issue. Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reginald L. Thomas, D-Lexington, said that the bill was a good step for Kentucky children. “All of us want the very best for our children, and we should transfer that. We want to be the best for our children. People do make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect. If parents want to come back and correct their mistakes, we ought to be stewards of that,” he said. One supporter who commented during the meeting, Gavin Herrington, said that the bill is needed to help future children of parents who might be incarcerated for a felony. “This bill helps parents get help while staying connected to their kids. I am here today because my mom eventually got the help she needed, but it came too late. Other families deserve better timing,” he said. SB 122 now heads to the full Senate. The post Committee advances bill on alternative sentencing for parent caretakers appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less