Simple Justice: An Overview of Justice Reform in the 115th Congress
You are safer walking down the street today than any point since the 1960s. Despite claims of a new crime wave, the United States is experiencing its lowest crime rates…
19 Ridiculous Federal Criminal Laws and Regulations
One of the more interesting aspects of FreedomWorks’ justice reform project is studying the over-criminalization. It is an issue that many want to avoid, preferring instead to focus their efforts…
Why Addressing Over-Criminalization Is a Vital Part of Justice Reform
The House Judiciary Committee is poised to take up several bills dealing with justice reform. Among the bills scheduled for markup on Wednesday are the Sentencing Reform Act,…
Tell Your Lawmakers to Support the Criminal Code Improvement Act
As one of our more than 6.9 million FreedomWorks members nationwide, I urge you to contact your congressman today and ask him or her to support the Criminal Code Improvement…
Over-criminalization and Mens Rea: The Missing Topics in the Justice Reform Debate
The epidemic of over-criminalization was the focal point of remarks delivered by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Monday afternoon. Justice reform has been a hot topic in Congress this year,…
The Over-criminalization Epidemic: The Need for a Guilty Mind Requirement in Federal Criminal Law
Justice reform is a topic that has received a lot of attention from members of Congress. Front-end sentencing and back-end reentry reforms have dominated the discussion on Capitol Hill, as…
You’ve probably broken the law, and you don’t even know it
In April 1790, the first Congress passed the Crimes Act, a law that established a criminal code in the United States. The Constitution listed only three crimes — counterfeiting, piracy,…
Congress must address out of control spending at the Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is coming under some scrutiny from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). The two Kentucky Republicans recently introduced the Federal…
The SAFE Justice Act would bring groundbreaking reforms enacted by conservative states to the federal government
Thursday was a huge day for anyone following the debate and movement on justice reform, the interest in which has grown substantially in recent days. Out of nowhere, Speaker John…
We’re all criminals now: Over-criminalization has distorted the justice system
The average American commits three felony crimes a day, and, more often than not, doesn’t even know they’ve run afoul of criminal statutes. In 2009, Harvey Silverglate published a book,…