Senate overwhelmingly backs overhaul of criminal justice system

This_person

Well-Known Member

The bill would revise several sentencing laws, such as reducing the “three strikes” penalty for drug felonies from life behind bars to 25 years and retroactively limiting the disparity in sentencing guidelines between crack and powder cocaine offenses. The latter would affect about 2,000 current federal inmates.

It also overhauls the federal prison system to help inmates earn reduced sentences and lower recidivism rates. A different version passed the House this year, so the House would have to pass the latest draft before it can be sent to Trump for his signature. The House is expected to endorse that bill when it comes up for a likely vote later this week, and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has expressed support for the legislation.

The bill, which does not cover state jails and prisons, would through reductions in sentencing do the equivalent of shaving a collective 53,000 years off the sentences of federal inmates over the next 10 years , according to the Congressional Budget Office — though some advocacy groups dispute this figure. There were about 181,000 federal inmates as of Dec. 13, according to the Bureau of Prisons.​

Seems like a pretty reasonable course correction to me. Anyone else have thoughts?
 

Lurk

Happy Creepy Ass Cracka
This should be a global rewrite of criminal law. Anyone convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death will be allowed only one appeal to the district Federal court to be completed within 20 months of conviction. If the appeal is denied, the convict must be killed within 24 months of conviction. It would possibly balance the budget in ten years.
 

BernieP

Resident PIA
This should be a global rewrite of criminal law. Anyone convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death will be allowed only one appeal to the district Federal court to be completed within 20 months of conviction. If the appeal is denied, the convict must be killed within 24 months of conviction. It would possibly balance the budget in ten years.
I am on the fence on capital punishment. If there are only 2 stories of a person convicted of a captial crime, later found to be not guilty, it justifies doing away with it.
On the other hand, there are people so dangerous, violent individuals who have no remores, that should be flushed from society. It's not fair to the guards and other inmates to have these people around.

As for the other changes, I would agree, the drug should not determine the sentence. Jf you are dealing drugs, you are selling posion.
If you are using, you are sick. If they are a dealer, the sentence should be based on the dollar amount of their 'business". The more you took in, the longer the prison term.

The problem with all these laws is that there is a knee jerk reaction. Fixed sentences removes common sense. At some point you need to give the judge the latitude to decide if the guilty is really bad or just made a bad mistake.
 

Bird Dog

Bird Dog
PREMO Member


Seems like a pretty reasonable course correction to me. Anyone else have thoughts?​


It is reasonable, but it's like dumbing down the schools because certain people can't keep up, like changing tests for placements because certain people don't do well, like changing physical ability standards because some people can't physically keep up, like changing loan laws because some people have bad credit, etc., etc, etc.

Now we are changing criminal sentences because some people get sentenced more because they commit more crimes......
Why don't we just have a new Constutution that fits one group of people and the rest of us will still use the old one..........​
 
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