New York is Reforming their Criminal Justice System
For every hundred American adults, there is one person behind bars. For every four out of ten released, it’s only a matter of three years until they are back in…
New Sentencing Memo Takes a Step Back on Justice Reform Efforts
Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions released a memo in which he ordered federal prosecutors to seek the toughest penalties for nonviolent drug offenders. The result of this change…
A Majority of Illinois Voters Support Justice Reform
A recent poll by the Illinois Policy Institute indicated that registered voters in Illinois favor criminal justice reform efforts. It additionally noted that voters would support candidates who…
Mandatory Minimums Do More Harm Than Good
On June 6, 2016, Families Against Mandatory Minimums (“FAMM”) held an event in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The purpose of the event was to shine a light on those…
Weldon Angelos Released, Mandatory Minimums Continue to Put Nonviolent Criminals Away
Weldon Angelos’s story has become known around the country as a horrifying example of how harsh mandatory minimums can ruin the lives of non-violent criminals and their families. Angelos was…
Ayotte Amendments Are the Wrong Way to Address Drug Addiction
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) has offered amendments to S.2943, the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), that would make federal mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl offenses harsher. Fentanyl is…
Oklahoma and Georgia Governors Sign Conservative Justice Reform Bills into Law
This past Wednesday, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed a package of justice reform bills into law, making the Sooner State the latest conservative state to adopt these “smart-on-crime” policies.
Justice Reform Package Passes through Oklahoma Legislature, Soon to be Signed into Law
In recent years, several conservative states have been at the forefront in tackling justice reform. As documented in the report Federalism in Action: How Conservative States Got Smart on…
Justice Reform Legislation on the Move in Oklahoma
Three bills that would overhaul Oklahoma’s sentencing policies and another offering more drug treatment programs are moving toward a final vote in the state Senate. The bills, which have already…
Antonin Scalia: An Unlikely Ally in the Fight Against Bad Sentencing Policy
The death of Justice Antonin Scalia sent shockwaves through the conservative movement, and everyone, regardless of their philosophic persuasion, is trying to figure out what the loss of this conservative…