On Thursday October 1st, 2015, Senator Chuck Schumer came out in support for a bipartisan legislation that would reduce prison sentences for certain non-violent drug offenders and that'll give judges more discretion in sentencing. More specifically, this legislation would give judges the discretion to give sentences below the mandatory minimum for non-violent drug offenders and it would allow for some current inmates to get their sentences reduced by as much as 25% by partaking in rehabilitation programs if they are deemed to be low risk for offending again. Along with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, the backers of this deal include: Sen John Cronyn (R-TX), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate; Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT); Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate; Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).
This is huge. Ever since the 1980s, the federal prison population exploded. Back then, there were around 25,000 people in the federal prison population. Now there are over 200,000. We are living in the age of mass incarceration. This is partially because of the mandatory minimum sentence for non-violent drug offenders. Both liberal and conservative Senators are stepping forward and realizing this is a problem that needs to be worked on. Some of that main goals they had in mind for this legislation include: reducing recidivism, making the sentencing system more fair, and containing rising prison costs. Senators along the political spectrum realize how a good portion of those who are imprisoned once will end up imprisoned again at some other point in their lives. This also ties in with the monetary concerns with the prison system today. Because we live during a time where more people are being incarcerated than ever before, prisons are costing more as a result. Both liberal and conservative members see this as an important issue that could be improved with proper legislation. And Senators also realize how the system relies on petty criminals, who are most frequently poor and black, pleading guilty to petty crimes and want to make the system more fair by creating legislation that'll allowed for reduced sentences for these criminals and that'll allow for judges to be more flexible with their rulings.
In the age of political belief polarization, this deal is something that is incredibly rare. The fact that Senator Chuck Schumer is one of the first Congress members to support this deal reveals how he's willing to cooperate and collaborate with more conservative Senators in order to work on an issue that he views as significant and in need of chance. And if this legislation is passed, there's not doubt it'll be historic. There's a good chance this legislation will gain more support from both parties because it's a bipartisan deal. Who knows, the U.S. prison system could end up improving and changing for the better in due time.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/01/us/politics/ap-us-congress-criminal-justice.html
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/09/30/us/politics/ap-us-congress-criminal-justice.html
1 comment:
This kind of legislation is huge if it garners enough sponsors to move forward. What will be interesting to monitor is how those who have not announced sponsorship or support decide to progress with this deal. It is in fact bipartisan, but will there be enough backlash from those who would oppose such legislation (particularly radicals on either side) that this deal will falter and wither away? I think in a day and age where it seems like radicals (who could very well be a driving factor behind the stark polarization amongst the two major parties), it would be extremely hard for this bill to pass, but perhaps if it does, that could show hope for compromise in the future. Perhaps a bipartisan bill such as this would create a trust factor amongst parties, allowing for more cooperation and communication among them for future legislation. There has to be some way to decrease the polarization that has been growing over the last few decades. Compromise among the parties that happened more often than not would greatly benefit the entire country, as well as the institutions, which so many politicians seem to be concerned with today.
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