Senate Introduces Legislation To Create Much Needed Criminal Justice Commission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: (202) 675-2312 or media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON – Significant legislation was introduced Tuesday in the Senate that would create a bi-partisan commission to examine the United States criminal justice system. The legislation, titled the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, was introduced by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA). The commission would offer reform recommendations in a number of important areas designed to prevent, deter and reduce crime and violence.

The following can be attributed to Laura W. Murphy, Director of the American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office:

“The National Criminal Justice Commission Act is an important step toward improving our criminal justice system. Our current criminal justice system is both unfair and unsustainable. More than half of all people released from prison will return within three years, incarceration and related costs have skyrocketed and our system perpetuates unjust racial and economic divisions.”

The following can be attributed to Jennifer Bellamy, ACLU Legislative Counsel:

“Our criminal justice system should keep communities safe, operate fairly and be cost effective. We should not tolerate a system that treats people unfairly because of the color of their skin or the size of their bank accounts. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress in pushing substantive and meaningful criminal justice reform.”