WASHINGTON — Conservative lawmakers and law enforcement officials held a press conference Wednesday as they believe it is the “wrong time” to be cutting mandatory minimums and releasing felons from federal prison.
“What is not quantifiable today is how many thousands of victims have been saved by violent criminals and serious criminal being incarcerated over the years,” Sheriff Greg Champagne of St. Charles Parish La. said. “Incarceration is a crime deterrent and it’s a crime fighter.”
The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 has strong bipartisan support with 37 cosponsors in the senate. This is one of the few areas staunch conservatives such as Utah Sen. [crscore]Mike Lee[/crscore] and President Barack Obama agree. However, Steve Cook, president of the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, said, “the federal criminal justice system is not broken.”
Contrarily, Cook added, “we’re in the midst of a national crisis.” This “crisis” Cook is referring to is the increase in opioid addiction hitting many states and the increase in murders in multiple major cities. (RELATED:Criminal Justice Bill Lowers Punishment For Smuggling Drugs In Submarines)
Overall though, the crime rate is down throughout the country. Sheriff Danny Glick of Laramie County, Wyoming, said, “We’ve seen our crime rates go down. With this legislation we’re going to turn those very same people back onto the streets and actually revictimize the same people that have been victimized before.”
When Cook was asked by The Daily Caller if he thinks we need more incarceration, he clarified to say the crisis he is referring to is due to existing criminal reform efforts. “Already the sentencing reforms that are in place and that are being played out as we stand here are releasing thousands of drug traffickers back into our streets,” Cook said. “I think we ought to maintain the incarceration we have,” he added.
Republican Senator Mike Lee who is in favor of the bill has argued that criminals receive undue punishment for minor crimes. Louisiana Sen. [crscore]David Vitter[/crscore] pushed back on this criticizing the bill for focusing on federal prisoners. “In the federal system 99.5 percent of those convicted of drug offenses are involved in serious trafficking, so there is no low level abuse issue here.”
The National Association of District Attorneys has endorsed the criminal reform bill, even though the legislation only deals with federal law. Josh Zive, general counsel for the FBI Agents Association, alluded to this. “We do not think this legislation is correct and we do not think it is coming at the correct time. We hope that the public will listen to the voices of federal law enforcement and federal prosecutors who speak from a unique experience with these laws and with the work they’re doing to try to protect our country.”