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prison reform
#1
reform link

first step act

The First Step Act, co-sponsored by Republican Doug Collins of Georgia and Democrat Hakeem Jeffries of New York, passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives in May.

But it has not gained traction in the U.S. Senate because it does not contain a broader overhaul favored by liberal progressives and some moderate conservatives seeking changes to mandatory minimum sentencing laws that have kept many low-level offenders behind bars for decades.
The bill in its current form would have to pass the Senate by year’s end before the new Congress is seated in January, and supporters hope that the endorsement by Trump, who has made the theme of law and order a central aspect of his presidency, will prompt Senate Republicans to act.
“Today I’m thrilled to announce my support for this bipartisan bill that will make our communities safer and give former inmates a second chance at life after they have served their time,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
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#2
It sounds like a good thing. I haven't done a lot of research on it yet.
To be a feminist is simply to believe that everybody should be treated equally, regardless of sex. It means you think that there should be equality of the sexes economically, socially, politically and personally. When you put it like that, it’s surely difficult for anybody to deny being a feminist. But for such a simple concept, it is often dramatically misunderstood.



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#3
I supported the criminal justice reform processes undertaken during Obama's administration, and I'm glad to see the effort moving forward under Trump's administration. It's long been concerning to me that the United States has by far the highest per-capita incarceration rate in the world.

A large portion of the inmate population at any given time is comprised of drug users and mentally ill people. However, there hasn't been sufficient attention directed at helping such inmates deal effectively with their problems so they don't end behind bars again. The recidivism rate remains insanely high (https://www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/r...lcome.aspx ) .

It also makes no sense to me that people busted for marijuana possession end up with jail time in many states, and they're saddled with criminal records that prevent them from getting jobs. I hope the final reform bill includes wiping those records clean.

From what I've read.........Trump, Kushner and other supporters of criminal justice reform are facing resistance from Congress -- particularly from Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz.

Evangelicals have been pushing for reforms for many years, contending that redemption and second-chances are necessary because they're Biblical in nature. Evangelical leaders are strategizing to put pressure on conservative Republicans to pass the bill.
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#4
(11-24-2018, 01:14 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: are facing resistance from Congress -- particularly from Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz.

Why would anyone resist such a good thing. Rhetorical question. Jesus. That old fucker, Mitch, hates humanity. Cocksucka!

As an aside, on a couple separate occasions I have seen him publicly berated for being such a shitty individual, he never says a word, he continues on as if deaf, his wife on the other hand gives some sass right back.
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#5
Our prisons are murderer factories, people come out way worse that when they went in.
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#6
(11-24-2018, 01:19 PM)Duchess Wrote:
(11-24-2018, 01:14 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: are facing resistance from Congress -- particularly from Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz.

Why would anyone resist such a good thing. Rhetorical question. Jesus. That old fucker, Mitch, hates humanity. Cocksucka!

As an aside, on a couple separate occasions I have seen him publicly berated for being such a shitty individual, he never says a word, he continues on as if deaf, his wife on the other hand gives some sass right back.

I don't know for sure why some congresspersons don't support the current bill.

But, I imagine that some of the opposing Republicans have financial ties to the lucrative private prison industry and/or a focus on punishing people over administering justice and reducing repeat offenses.

Some of the most liberal Democrats would likely prefer to see more comprehensive changes than what's reflected in the current First Step Initiative.

Hopefully, enough compromises can be made to get the bill passed.  Then, it can be expanded upon later.

 It seems Nancy Pelosi is likely to be elected Speaker of the House.  If so, that's a good thing for Trump when it comes to bi-partisan initiatives like this one, in cases where he's facing opposition from his own party.  

While she sometimes makes pretty stupid guffaws when delivering public speeches, Pelosi is a very smart and effective negotiator and vote-wrangler.  She works with everyone in Congress on both sides of the aisle.

There weren't enough Democrat votes to get Obamacare passed into law, for example, so Pelosi managed to convince several Republicans to vote for it and carried it over the finish line.  No small feat.
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#7
(11-24-2018, 01:41 PM)HairOfTheDog Wrote: Pelosi is a very smart and effective negotiator and vote-wrangler.  She works with everyone in Congress on both sides of the aisle.

I'm seeing quite a bit of that lately and the word that is always used is "effective".

It's very strange to see republicans trying to shut her down, they don't want her to be speaker, and I see that as them believing she's effective too.
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#8
One of the news outlets posted a poll that showed only 11% of republicans approve of Pelosi as house speaker. I'm curious why they'd even ask them.
Sally, the flaming asshole of MockForums
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#9
(11-24-2018, 02:46 PM)Rootilda Wrote: I'm curious why they'd even ask them.

I hear ya. They don't get a say.

I heard trump say "I can get her some votes". Like WTF, not your biz, you moron.

I'm really looking forward to a Democratic House making his life hell...every. fuckin'. day.
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#10
High-profile conservative Republican senator Tom Cotton (Arkansas) is one of the strongest opponents of the current draft of the First Step criminal justice reform bill.

He's working Mike Lee's and Chuck Grassley's nerves, it seems. Lee and Grassley both strongly support the bill and want it passed by end of year.

Republicans fear that if it doesn't get signed into law in 2018, the Democrats will attempt to expand it considerably when they take over the House in January.

(continued)
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#11
Anyway, I don't often agree with Cotton, but I completely understand his concerns on this aspect of the bill:

Cotton’s office asked the DOJ whether the bill would extend eligibility for early release credits to individuals convicted of four crimes: failure to register as a sex offender, importing aliens for prostitution, female genital mutilation and first-time assault with intent to commit rape or sexual abuse.

The bill currently excludes those convicted of assault with intent to commit rape or sexual abuse from earning the time credits, but only if they’ve served a year or more in prison for a previous conviction.  

So, if such offenders have never served a full year previously, they have the ability to earn early release (the decision is up to the warden and other officials).  

I don't think child molesters and violent sex offenders should be eligible for early release under any circumstances either.  

It's possible that the bill's Republican backers can add an amendment to include those such crimes to the 'exclusions list'.  However, as I understand it, the Republican bill supporters worry that amending the current bill will delay its passage and open the bill up to more debate/scrutiny.

Story:  https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/2...mp-1015149
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#12
Unfortunately, it's looking unlikely that criminal justice reform is coming anytime soon.

Snip:
Republican tensions over a President Trump-backed criminal justice reform bill are spilling into public view as lawmakers run out of time to finish work on the legislation.

Supporters of the legislation believe they have momentum, pointing to the growing number of senators who have come out in support of the bill. On Friday, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) both announced they were backing it.

Separately, Trump doubled down on his demand for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to schedule a vote.

“Hopefully Mitch McConnell will ask for a VOTE on Criminal Justice Reform. It is extremely popular and has strong bipartisan support. It will also help a lot of people, save taxpayer dollars, and keep our communities safe. Go for it Mitch!,” Trump tweeted Friday.

(continued)
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#13
Despite those entreaties, McConnell has hinted the legislation will have to wait because of division within the Republican conference over its merits, as well as the ticking clock.

McConnell, speaking at a Wall Street Journal event, questioned if the “extremely controversial” legislation could be dealt with in the Senate’s final days.

“It’s extremely divisive inside the Senate Republican Conference, in fact there are more members in my conference that are either against it or undecided than or for it,” he said. He argued the bill would take up to 10 days to complete and noted he had only two weeks to complete work on a host of other issues.

Two sources told The Hill that the official Senate whip count came back with 16 Republican senators as hard “yes” votes, a minority of the 51-member conference.

Full story:  https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4203...stice-bill
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#14
McConnell Reverses Course

After repeatedly claiming that there would not be enough time to bring the First Step Act — the bipartisan prison reform bill endorsed by President Trump — to a vote this year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that his chamber would begin debating the measure as early as this week, reports The Hill.

"At the request of the president and following improvements to the legislation that has been secured by several members," McConnell said on the Senate floor, "the Senate will take up the recently revised criminal justice bill."

The legislation is designed to, among other reforms, make more prisoners eligible for early release and give judges greater latitude in the face of mandatory-minimum sentencing. Despite the president's backing — including a Friday tweet encouraging McConnell to "Go for it" — opponents, such as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), have said that "most" senators "don't want to touch the bill with a 10-foot pole." Thanks to McConnell, that assertion will now be put to the test.

Source:  https://theweek.com/speedreads/811991/re...eform-year
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#15
UPDATE

The Senate advanced a White House-backed criminal justice reform bill on Monday, paving the way for senators to try to pass the bill as early as Tuesday.

Senators voted 82-12 to end debate on the legislation, which merges a House-passed prison reform bill with a handful of changes to sentencing laws.

Twelve Republicans voted against advancing the legislation despite President Trump endorsing the measure in November: GOP Sens. John Barrasso (Wyo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Mike Enzi(Wyo.), John Kennedy (La.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Jim Risch (Idaho), Ben Sasse (Neb.), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Mike Rounds(S.D.) and Pat Toomey (Pa.).

(continued)
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#16
The Senate is expected to vote on proposed amendments to the current First Step legislation as soon as tomorrow, before taking a final vote on the bill.

Among the amendments being pushed by Senators Cotton and Kennedy:

--Reduce the list of serious/violent crimes eligible for early release.
--Inform the victims or their families of when offenders are released early.
--Make publicly available rearrest data for those released early, as well as information on prior offenses.

The amendment votes are expected to be held with a simple majority threshold, meaning at least a few GOP senators would need to join with all Democrats to block them from getting added to the bill. 

Source:  https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4217...eform-bill
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#17
I hate when these clowns add pork to these things. All it does is pollute the bill with ridiculous personal bullshit that has nothing to do with it.
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#18
Music 
I don't get your drift Mags.

Only six of the 12 senators holding out for the revisions are up for re-election in 2020, the requested revisions don't specifically benefit their districts at a cost to all others, and the proposed revisions are fully relevant to the draft legislation itself.

So, I don't see why you're labeling it 'pork'.
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#19
The Senate passed the First Step bill today, without the revisions requested by the last 12 Republican hold-outs.  

The First Step Act passed on a vote of 87 to 12, with dozens of Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, joining all 49 members of the Democratic caucus to approve legislation that some GOP supporters fear could leave them vulnerable to charges of being soft on crime.

If the House also passes the bill later this week, as expected, President Trump and Jared Kushner will have achieved a rare bi-partisan victory.
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#20
This will get media attention..............."crickets"  Trump cannot do anything right according to the peanut gallery. 

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