Criminal justice reforms would improve law enforcement and public safety As Congress gets closer to passing federal criminal justice reforms, it is now more important than ever for those who have served in federal law enforcement to weigh in and contribute to a thoughtful analysis of policy proposals that are moving to the House and […]
The House Judiciary Committee passed a criminal justice reform bill on Wednesday that would reduce certain mandatory minimum prison sentences to address overcrowding in the federal prison population. In a voice vote, the committee moved Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s (R-Va.) bill — the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 — to the full House for consideration. The […]
The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a criminal justice reform bill on Thursday that would reduce certain mandatory minimum prisons sentences to address overcrowding in the federal prison population. The committee voted 15–5 to move the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 to the floor for a vote. Sens. Ted. Cruz (R-Texas), David Perdue (R-Ga.) […]
Washington • Reforming criminal justice laws to curb excessive sentences isn’t “going soft on crime” but rather a nod to the fact that locking up first-time criminals for decades and punishing low-level offenders isn’t the best solution for fighting crime, former U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman told Congress on Monday. Tolman joined several other […]
The sentence reductions in both bills are nevertheless a major improvement. The sentencing reform bill unveiled by the House Judiciary Committee yesterday largely tracks the one unveiled by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, except for differences over which penalties should be harsher. That’s right: Both sentencing reform bills, while aiming to ameliorate the [...]
THIS LEGISLATION IS THE FIRST OF MANY BILLS TO BE INTRODUCED THAT IMPROVE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 8, 2015 CONTACT: Kathryn Rexrode or Jessica Collins, (202) 225-3951 or Stephanie Baez (Conyers), (202) 225-6906 Washington, D.C. – As part of the House Judiciary Committee’s criminal justice reform initiative, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob [...]
Congress has passed legislation reauthorizing the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for four years. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed Senate bill 2078 by voice vote, six days after the full Senate approved the legislation unanimously. It now awaits President Obama’s signature to become law. The 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative is one […]
Last week a bipartisan group of senators, led by conservative Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), announced the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015. The bill clearly represents a compromise between criminal justice reformers and more conservative law-and-order legislators, but the aggregate effect on the criminal justice system would be a substantial [...]
