FIRST STEP Act Passes Senate! Some People Are Upset. Why?

The First Step Act, which addresses prison reform in the United States, has passed the Senate. Since there were some revisions made from the original version that passed the House, it must now go back to the House to get voted on again. After the widely accepted, bipartisan bill passes the House again, it will go President Trump who is eager to sign it.

Non-violent drug offenders are the main focus of this bill. The objective is to reduce the federal prison population by about 54,000 over the course of ten years. The CBO released a report that says this move will increase direct spending by $340 million in that same time span, but it does not say how much will be saved by federal prisons no longer housing those inmates at $30,000 a year per inmate per year.

Objectives outlined in the bill will be met by allowing currently incarcerated people in federal prisons to apply for more “good time” which means time off of their sentence by exhibiting good behavior in jail. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 that reduced the disparity between crack and powder cocaine drug sentences will be applied retroactively. So individuals who were locked up on crack charges before the 2010 act went into place will be able to apply to have their sentence equalized to typical powder cocaine crimes, thus having their sentences reduced.

The three strikes law was also repealed. On a person’s third felony, they will get 25 years rather than automatic life.

Some people see the bill as a get-out-of-jail-free card but it’s not like that. It’s about saving money and having a common sense, bipartisan approach to true prison reform mostly for non violent drug offenders.

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About The FIRST STEP Act #FirstStepAct

BO: Prison Reform Bill to Release 53K Inmates, Cost U.S. Taxpayers $346M

H.R.5682 - FIRST STEP Act

Senate overwhelmingly backs overhaul of criminal justice system

Senate overwhelmingly passes criminal justice overhaul

FAIR SENTENCING ACT

Annual Determination of Average Cost of Incarceration