Senate Passes Criminal Justice Reform Bill

[wing2000]

Finally, some real bi-partisan progress.

The bill would revise several sentencing laws, such as reducing the “three strikes” penalty for drug felonies from life behind bars to 25 years and retroactively limiting the disparity in sentencing guidelines between crack and powder cocaine offenses. The latter would affect about 2,000 current federal inmates.

It also overhauls the federal prison system to help inmates earn reduced sentences and lower recidivism rates. A different version passed the House this year, so the House would have to pass the latest draft before it can be sent to Trump for his signature. The House is expected to endorse that bill when it comes up for a likely vote later this week, and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has expressed support for the legislation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...2e98f91ee6f_story.html?utm_term=.2d868cf4f7c8

 

[visionary]

More effort is needed to given these inmates a trade that they can do after serving time. While I agree with non violent crimes deserve less time, I fully disagree with reducing the three strikes penalty.

 

[Nithavela]

More effort is needed to given these inmates a trade that they can do after serving time. While I agree with non violent crimes deserve less time, I fully disagree with reducing the three strikes penalty.

Why?

 

[mark46]

This has been a struggle. Right wingnuts have succeeded so far. This took significant pressure from Trump to get the Senate to take this up.

We'll see more of this in 2019.

 

[camille70]

This is supposed to easily pass the house. I haven't read the details of it, but it's supposed to be a good thing. I have 2 or 3 predictions regarding this, but I'm not going to disrupt the positive vibe.

 

[mark46]

no question, this will become law

Republicans have stopped this legislation for years.

This is supposed to easily pass the house. I haven't read the details of it, but it's supposed to be a good thing. I have 2 or 3 predictions regarding this, but I'm not going to disrupt the positive vibe.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Why?

Well for starters, it will funnel more needed money into the United States Prison Industrial Complex.

 

[Nithavela]

Well for starters, it will funnel more needed money into the United States Prison Industrial Complex.

Oh, okay. That is the only reason needed.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Oh, okay. That is the only reason needed.

How else would “The Land of the Free” have the highest number of people behind bars?

 

[Hank77]

While I agree with non violent crimes deserve less time, I fully disagree with reducing the three strikes penalty.

An drug user, not a dealer, gets arrested three times for using drugs under the three strikes rule they serve life in prison? Can that happen, yes, and worse.

After the hype leading to the institution of these laws across the country, it soon became apparent that they were not bringing the results the public expected. Data shows that the laws didn't necessarily reduce violent crime, but instead, in states such as California where a "strike" did not have to be a violent felony, put away more "criminals" for non-violent and petty crimes, dramatically raising the prison population.[16] This led to the drastic reduction of the power of the Three-Strikes Law in California in 2012 by approval of Proposition 36.
Three-strikes law - Wikipedia

I don't understand why anyone would agree with this.

 

[Hank77]

Well for starters, it will funnel more needed money into the United States Prison Industrial Complex.

You are so correct about this, imo, disgusting, private corporate, for profit prison system. Private corporations making billions of dollars from taxpayers and products made by inmates is bond to promote corruption in law enforcement and the judicial system damaging inmates, families, communities and country.
What isn't just my opinion is actual cases of corrupted judges being removed from the bench when they have been caught taking money to convict in order to fill beds for corporations, including filling beds with minors.

 

[yougottabekidding]

Don't forget this is correcting the 1994 Democratic bill.

 

[wing2000]

Well for starters, it will funnel more needed money into the United States Prison Industrial Complex.

...by eliminating three strikes sentencing for life?

 

[Kentonio]

Don't forget this is correcting the 1994 Democratic bill.

It's a fair point, everyone should be very careful never to vote for those 1994 Democrats again.

 

[wing2000]

The House overwhelmingly passed it:

The Republican-led House approved the First Step Act on a 358-36, reflecting a major pivot by the GOP from a punitive, law-and-order stance of the 1980s to policies that emphasize rehabilitation and aim to save money.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powe...aa5c2fcc9e4_story.html?utm_term=.04e236d78c2c

 

[Aryeh Jay]

It's a fair point, everyone should be very careful never to vote for those 1994 Democrats again.

Funny how it just slipped by the Republican takeover headed by Newt in 1996…