More than 70 law enforcement members sent a letter to Congress on Jan. 20 urging lawmakers to act on the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015.
The group, known as the Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration, began operations in October by advocating reducing prison populations by reforming mandatory minimum sentences.
The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 was introduced Oct. 1 and sponsored by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa). The bill would reduce several federal minimum sentences drug felons and firearm offenses, create new mandatory minimums for interstate domestic violence and certain export control violations, and make the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 and certain sentencing reforms retroactive.
“Today, law enforcement leaders from across the nation join together to let our lawmakers know that reforming federal mandatory minimum sentences will help keep down crime and unnecessary incarceration. As police chiefs and prosecutors, our first priority is public safety. But we know first-hand from our experience that our country’s high levels of incarceration are not making us safer.” said Ronal Serpas, co-chair of the group. “To help law enforcement do our jobs better, we urge Congress to act to swiftly pass the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act.”
The law enforcement group has noted four priority issues: increasing the alternatives to arrest, restoring balance to criminal laws, reforming mandatory minimums, and strengthening community-law enforcement relations.
“This is a unique moment of rare bipartisan consensus on the urgent need for criminal justice reform,” the group stated in its letter. “As law enforcement leaders, we want to make clear where we stand: Not only is passing federal mandatory minimum reform necessary to reduce incarceration, it is also necessary to help law enforcement continue to keep crime at its historic lows across the country.”
A major hearing was also held that day by the Senate Judiciary Committee on criminal justice reform.
