Mitch McConnell Singlehandedly Blocks Sentencing Reform -- Despite Bipartisan Support

[spanone]

Prospects for a major federal sentencing reform bill brightened on Wednesday with President Trump’s announcement that he would support the effort, but by week’s end, those prospects dimmed abruptly as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told the president he wouldn’t bring the bill to a floor vote this year.

The bill is known as the First Step Act. The House passed a version of this in spring, but the House version was limited to reforms on the “back end,” such as slightly increasing good time credits for federal prisoners and providing higher levels of reentry and rehabilitation services.

The Senate bill crafted by a handful of key senators and pushed hard by presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner incorporates the language of the House bill, but also adds actual sentencing reforms. Under the Senate bill:

Thousands of prisoners sentenced for crack cocaine offenses before August 2010 (the date of the Fair Sentencing Act, which reduced, but did not eliminate sentencing disparities) would get the chance to petition for a reduced sentence.
Mandatory minimum sentences for some drug offenses would be lowered.
Life sentences for drug offenders with three convictions (“three strikes”) would be reduced to 25 years.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/phillip-smith/82166/mitch-mcconnell-singlehandedly-blocks-sentencing-reform-despite-bipartisan-support

[Me.]

1. Bait & Switch

between he and Comrade WH

[IADEMO2004]

2. Private Prison Profit Private Prison Profit Private Prison Profit Private Prison Profit

[RockRaven]

3. GOPers who supposedly support this can't support it THAT much,

because it isn't important enough to them to turn against McConnell in response.

[Kurt V.]

4. grave digger

[IcyPeas]

5. yeah like they care about prison reform - ask the Central Park 5 what they think

[maxsolomon]

6. McConnell is the single most destructive, divisive force in Federal Gubmint

and he has been since BHO's Inauguration.

any hint of cooperation must be stamped out while the GOP remakes the Judiciary in its image.