Bring Successful Conservative Reforms to the Federal Prison System

The state-level criminal justice reforms enacted by conservatives in red states that have reduced recidivism rates and increased public safety are finally coming to the federal prison system. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) recently introduced the Prison Reform and Redemption Act, H.R. 3356, which will require federal prisoners to participate in programs designed to reduce recidivism rather than spending their time learning to be better criminals.

Over the past decade, there has been a groundswell of reform from Republican states to be smarter on crime. It all started in Texas in 2007 when state House Corrections Committee chairman Jerry Madden (R-Plano) approached then-Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) with concerns about the large chunk of taxpayer funds that were to be spent on prison construction.