House: Pass Bi-Partisan Sentencing Reform Legislation - FCNL
House: Pass Bi-Partisan Sentencing Reform Legislation Bi-partisan legislation sentencing reform is ready for a vote on the House floor and Representatives need to work to ensure its passage during the lame duck session. Disproportionally long prison sentences for certain crimes, combined with laws that prevent successful re-entry into civilian life, have created a system of mass incarceration that doesn’t’ work, cost too much and unfairly impacts the poor and people of color. Together, the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 (HR. 3713) and the Recidivism Risk Reduction Act (H.R. 759), take small but significant steps toward reducing several lengthy mandatory minimum sentences and promoting rehabilitative programming for individuals in prison.
» The U.S. is the world’s leader in incarceration, with 2.2 million people in prisons and jails—5 times as many as there were 30 years ago. Most of this increase is due to changes in state and federal sentencing laws, not increases in crime. » U.S. laws, as applied, unequally burden people of color. For example, one in three black men in the U.S. will be incarcerated at some point in his life, compared to one in six white men. » Most of U.S. prisoners are in state and local jails. But most of those incarcerated for drug-related crimes with long, mandatory sentences, are in federal prisons. » Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s Sentencing Reform Act (H.R. 3713) addresses these mandatory sentences. » Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s Recidivism Risk Reduction Act (H.R. 759) promotes education, job training, drug rehabilitation and other programming. » Both H.R. 3713 and H.R. 759 passed the Judiciary Committee with strong bipartisan support.
October 2016
Please press for passage of the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3713) and the Recidivism Risk Reduction Act (H.R. 759) in the lame duck.
For further information, contact Jose Woss, FCNL’s Legislative Associate for Domestic Policy: [email protected]
» The U.S. is the world’s leader in incarceration, with 2.2 million people in prisons and jails—5 times as many as there were 30 years ago. Most of this increase is due to changes in state and federal sentencing laws, not increases in crime. » U.S. laws, as applied, unequally burden people of color. For example, one in three black men in the U.S. will be incarcerated at some point in his life, compared to one in six white men. » Most of U.S. prisoners are in state and local jails. But most of those incarcerated for drug-related crimes with long, mandatory sentences, are in federal prisons. » Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s Sentencing Reform Act (H.R. 3713) addresses these mandatory sentences. » Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s Recidivism Risk Reduction Act (H.R. 759) promotes education, job training, drug rehabilitation and other programming. » Both H.R. 3713 and H.R. 759 passed the Judiciary Committee with strong bipartisan support.
October 2016
Please press for passage of the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3713) and the Recidivism Risk Reduction Act (H.R. 759) in the lame duck.
For further information, contact Jose Woss, FCNL’s Legislative Associate for Domestic Policy: [email protected]
