Senator Webb Reintroduces National Criminal Justice Commission Act

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today reintroduced his landmark National Criminal Justice Commission Act, which would create a blue-ribbon, bipartisan commission of experts charged with undertaking an 18-month top-to-bottom review of the nation’s criminal justice system and offering concrete recommendations for reform.  

The bill, which was first introduced March 26, 2009, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 21, 2010, with 39 bipartisan cosponsors. On July 28, 2010, it passed the U.S. House of Representatives, with the support of Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), now Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Despite strong bipartisan support, the bill was blocked in the Senate last year.

“National organizations from across the philosophical spectrum agree that now is the time to launch this comprehensive review of our criminal justice system,” said Senator Webb.

Over the past three years, Senator Webb’s office has engaged in a dialogue about the National Criminal Justice Commission with more than 100 organizations from every political and philosophical perspective, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Heritage Foundation, Sentencing Project, Fraternal Order of Police, NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union, and Prison Fellowship.

“This is not a political question; it is a leadership challenge that affects every community in the country and calls for us to act,” said Senator Webb.  “We can be smarter about whom we incarcerate, improve public safety outcomes, make better use of taxpayer dollars, and bring greater fairness to our justice system.

“America has the highest documented rate of incarceration in the world, yet 60% of Americans feel less safe in their own neighborhoods than they did a year ago. We spend a staggering $68 billion every year just to keep people locked up, and we lose billions more in lost productivity due to the lack of proper re-entry programs.”

The Commission would study all areas of the criminal justice system including federal, state, local and tribal governments’ criminal justice costs, practices, and policies. After conducting the review, the Commission would make recommendations for changes in, or continuation of oversight, policies, practices, and laws designed to prevent, deter, and reduce crime and violence, improve cost-effectiveness, and ensure the interests of justice. 

The text of the new bill is available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/48441859/NatCrimJComissionAct112thCongress

 For additional resources on the proposed National Criminal Justice Commission, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/issuesandlegislation/criminaljusticeandlawenforcement/Criminal_Justice_Banner.cfm