Cheri Toalson Reisch

Factional warfare marks passage of Republican priority as Freedom Caucus members denounce leadership for stripping out provisions labeled ‘ballot candy.’

Dawn Huston did 7 years, 9 months in prison before Gov. Mike Parson commuted her sentence.

“Heartbroken” is the word Missouri state Rep. Cheri Toalson Reisch used to sum up what she’s feeling in the wake of the 2021 legislative session. On Tuesday, the Republican from Hallsville learned that legislation she’d hoped would soon open doors for certain nonviolent drug offenders serving decades-long, no-parole terms didn’t make it into the final version of Senate Bill 26.

A new report from the Riverfront Times puts the disparity in stark contrast: While Missouri inmates on average spend less than four years in prison, some of the state’s nonviolent drug offenders are still serving decades-long, no-parole terms. In this segment, host Sarah Fenske spoke with the RFT's Danny Wicentowski and Republican state Rep. Cheri Toalson Reisch, and heard from two men who recently had their sentences commuted by Gov. Mike Parson.