The Hill: Holly Harris: Connect Beltway to America to get federal criminal justice reform done
When it comes to excuses to pass over federal criminal justice reform, I have heard them all, from “it takes at least 10 years to pass legislation like this” to “there is no way move a criminal justice bill in an election year.” But the one that really burns me is “you cannot point to state success because the federal system is much more complicated.”
The arrogance of the Beltway is incredible. Of the more than 2.3 millionpeople serving time behind bars in this country, more than 1.3 million are housed in state prisons, and about 615,000 sit in local jails. Only 225,000 are housed in a federal facility. The Texas prison system alone holds more inmates. State prison systems deal with overcrowding, stifling budget cuts, and drug epidemics that show no signs of abating. Because they can see and experience this crisis first hand, governors on the left and the right are passing strong criminal justice reforms that offer alternatives to incarceration such as drug treatment programs, provide opportunities that put people back to work, and save millions of taxpayer dollars.
Now these governors are invading the federal reform effort, seeking to finally connect Beltway leaders to what is happening in their own backyards. President Trump, in a savvy move, convened a criminal justice roundtable at his resort in New Jersey and invited Republican and Democratic governors from states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky and Georgia, all of which have passed strong criminal justice reforms with bipartisan support that decrease incarcerated populations, improve reentry programs, and ultimately lower crime and recidivism. This is all part of a strategy to take the fight to pass a federal bill straight to the people and away from the status quo in Washington.
The journey to this point has been a tumultuous one. Earlier this year, the First Step Act, a pure prison reform bill, divided House Democrats, many of whom refused to vote for a bill that did not include reforms to unduly harsh mandatory minimum sentences. Allies of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an opponent of reform, quietly whipped votes against the bill, and a few progressive senators even weighed in against the measure. Despite these challenges, and thanks to the leadership of the unlikely duo sponsoring the bill, Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the bill sailed to passage with massive bipartisan support. When the bill hit the Senate, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) stepped up to take a combination package to the White House that included sentencing reforms, unifying the reform community, and forcing Democrats to the table.
Now, in perhaps the most unlikely plot twist of all, Trump has given a thumbs up to the Senate deal. This support is made all the more powerful by the policy expertise of trusted White House aide Jared Kushner. Keenly aware that red states like Georgia, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Kentucky have made aggressive changes to their justice systems, including sentencing reforms and felony expungement laws, Kushner has showed the president these success stories. In this latest roundtable, Trump included the Democratic governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, who shared that reforms implemented in his state led to a 20 percent decrease in the number of people imprisoned for nonviolent crimes, which frees up valuable resources to fight dangerous crimes and reduce recidivism.
While the public safety benefits of reform are undoubtedly impressive to a “tough on crime” president, the overwhelming public support for these issues must be equally attractive. Voters across the country are looking to Congress to act. Polling from earlier this year shows that 75 percent of voters, a clear supermajority crossing all partisan, geographic, education, income, racial and ethnic boundaries, believe the criminal justice system needs to be reformed and support changes such as fixing our cash bail system and replacing mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
In the final stretch to a Senate vote, do not be surprised to see this White House deploy its assets to the states to stump for a bill they know the American people want. There will be folks from every walk of life lining up behind them, from business leaders and military veterans to civil rights advocates and faith leaders. Just this week, people from 50 organizations of all political stripes and bipartisan senior legislative staff met to talk details. When the phone lines light up in offices all over Capitol Hill demanding a vote, Washington may well be out of excuses.