The Salt Lake Tribune: He used to be Utah's top federal prosecutor. Now, Brett Tolman is trying to change the system he was a part of.

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Holly Harris, executive director of the criminal justice reform non-profit Justice Action Network, said Tolman’s experience as a federal prosecutor makes him someone people listen to when they lobby for changes to sentencing laws or bail reform.

“He speaks with credibility you just can’t create,” she said. “He has the ability to speak truth to power in a way the rest of us can’t because he’s been part of a very exclusive club.”

Tolman is among a growing number of former federal and state prosecutors who are asking for Congress to reform the criminal justice system. He noted that when he first started his efforts, he was able to get a couple dozen former prosecutors to sign a letter to congressional leaders.

His last letter netted 135 signatures from those who were once on the frontlines of the federal criminal justice system, including former prosecutors, judges and attorneys general. The letter voices support for a federal bill called the FIRST STEP act, which focuses on incentivizing federal inmates with possible early release so they take part in rehabilitation programs.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/07/09/he-used-be-utahs-top/