Topeka ? The Senate Judiciary Committee has been told that a bill calling for prison time for a third felony should be toned down.

Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt says his proposal would address the problem of criminals receiving repeated probation for such nonviolent crimes as theft. His proposal would cover all felonies.

But Jennifer Roth of the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers told senators that the bill’s scope should be narrowed to specific crimes such as a third theft conviction. “If you’re going after repeat offenders, go after those who repeat the same offense,” she said.

Schmidt said the scope of the bill might be narrowed by increasing drug and alcohol abuse treatment in prisons, allowing people to spend shorter periods of time behind bars.