Cornyn Praises House Passage of Prison Reform Bill

I released the following statement today after the FIRST STEP Act, a prison reform bill aimed at reducing recidivism rates and rehabilitating low-risk offenders, passed the U.S. House of Representatives:

“The House took an important step today toward ensuring people who leave prison don’t end up right back there. This bill builds upon what we’ve learned from states like Texas who have taken seriously the work of rehabilitating low-risk offenders and preparing them for a productive life after incarceration. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to advance this legislation through the Senate and to President Trump’s desk.”

This legislation mirrors my CORRECTIONS Act which was modeled after successful state-level reforms like those in Texas.  Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) cosponsored the FIRST STEP Act in the Senate, and Congressmen Doug Collins (R-GA) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Background:

  • Risk Assessment: The bill requires the Department of Justice to develop risk assessment tools that will assess the recidivism risk of all eligible offenders.
  • Reducing Prison Spending: The bill focuses limited Bureau of Prison resources on those most likely to commit future crimes and shifts lower-risk inmates to less restrictive conditions, reducing prison costs and freeing up resources for law enforcement.
  • Expanded Recidivism-Reduction Programming: The bill requires the Bureau of Prisons to provide evidence-based recidivism reduction programming to all eligible offenders.
  • Partnerships with Faith-Based and Community-Based Organizations: To promote efficient and effective recidivism reduction programming, the Bureau of Prisons must partner with private organizations, including non-profits, to enhance existing efforts.
  • Credit toward Pre-release Custody: To incentivize inmates to reduce their risk profile, the bill allows eligible inmates who successfully complete recidivism reduction programs to earn credit toward time in pre-release custody, but excludes serious violent criminals.
  • Improving Prisoner Reentry: The bill requires the federal probation office to begin planning for eligible offenders’ reentry at the beginning of the inmate’s sentence and requires the Justice Department to implement reentry pilot projects across the country.
  • Correctional Officer Self-Protection Provision:  The bill requires the warden of every federal prison facility to provide a secure storage facility for correctional officers to secure firearms.

Additionally, the FIRST STEP Act will:

  • Increase the amount of “good time” credits for good behavior in prison.
  • Limit the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners.
  • Improve audits to reduce or eliminate prison rape.
  • Increase the ability of Federal Prison Industries to sell products to private non-profit organizations.
  • Require correctional officers to receive de-escalation training.
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