Comments for A Push for Prison Reform

A Push for Prison Reform

2009-03-26T15:04:32Z

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) will launch an effort to reform the nation's prison system today at noon, his staff says, introducing a bill--the National Criminal Justice Act of 2009--that would create a bipartisan commission on reform. The commission would undertake an 18-month review of the U.S. prison system, offering recommendations at the end.

Prison reform is a difficult thing to achieve, politically. Nearly every politician wants to be perceived as "tough on crime," and suggesting that too many Americans are being incarcerated can seem to run against that. (Webb has, in fact, pointed out that the U.S. has attained the highest incarceration rate in the world.) Add tough discussions of prison conditions, inmate crime, and abuse, and it's not an easy task for a politician to undertake.
]]> Reported support from Democratic leaders, President Obama, and interest from Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Arlen Specter could help him in this latest endeavor.

Comment from TrembleTheDevil on 2009-03-29

2009-03-30T03:43:08Z

Left my counterterrorism job and took my Harvard degree to write a book about how the unjust American prison system is going to lead directly to the most potent wave of terrorism we've ever seen, check the entire thing out free online at:

Tremble The Devil

Comment from College Kid on 2009-03-30

2009-03-30T15:27:45Z

I was just reading something the other day about the role Chase Bank has played in financing some of the worst aspects of the prison nation that has sprung up in the last 20 years.