Webb’s National Criminal Justice Commission Act Gains Momentum with Introduction in House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Webb (D-VA) today joined Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Tom Rooney (R-FL), and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) in announcing the introduction of companion legislation to Webb’s National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2010 in the House of Representatives.
 
Today’s introduction in the House continues the measure’s momentum. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the legislation on January 21, and with 37 bipartisan cosponsors, Webb’s legislation has been supported by a broad spectrum of organizations. Most recently, the bill was endorsed in March by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the oldest and largest non-profit membership organization of police executives, with more than 22,000 members in over 100 countries.

“I want to congratulate Congressman Delahunt and the original cosponsors for stepping forward to introduce a House version of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act,” said Senator Webb. “Our broken criminal justice system isn’t a liberal or conservative problem—it is a problem that we have to address in a comprehensive way, with everyone at the table.  Our bill has advanced out of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate, and garnered broad support from across the political spectrum. I want you to ask yourself the last time you saw a piece of criminal justice legislation that was supported universally by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Marijuana Policy Institute, the NAACP, the ACLU and the American Bar Association.”

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714, creates a blue-ribbon bipartisan commission charged with undertaking an 18-month comprehensive review of the nation’s criminal justice system. The Commission will 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 will 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 bill we introduced today will create a bipartisan commission to undertake a comprehensive review of our nation’s criminal justice system for the first time in 40 years,” said Rep. Delahunt. “I want to commend Senator Webb for his extraordinary and tireless work in the Senate, and look forward to working with my colleagues – Representatives Issa, Fudge, Rooney, and Scott – as we work together on this vital legislation that seeks to promote the interests of justice and public safety.”

“Our justice system is expensive, makes mistakes, and too often fails to shield the public from dangerous criminals,” said Rep. Issa.  “We appreciate Senator Webb leading the charge. Today, we have true bipartisan and bicameral support. The opportunity to learn lessons from failures, along with the promise of new technologies and systems, make conducting a high level examination of our justice system a worthwhile effort.  There is certainly room to correct shortcomings while preserving the pillars of our legal system.”

“Lady Justice’s scales remind us that—in American jurisprudence—fairness outweighs all other concerns. As a former prosecutor, I know firsthand that our judicial processes often fail to uphold this core principle. Fortunately, the National Criminal Justice Commission will examine ways to reform the judicial system to ensure that fairness prevails. It has been forty years since America had a comprehensive exam of our criminal justice system. She's long overdue for a check-up,” said Rep. Fudge. “Our current system severely punishes non-violent offenders while often granting violent criminals freedom and unfettered opportunities to menace our communities.  The Commission would provide recommendations to address these problems.”   

“We need to take a close look at what works and what does not in our criminal justice system,” said Rep.  Rooney. “This bipartisan bill will create a commission to study all aspects of our criminal justice system and report back on what we can do better to prevent crime, reduce violence and control costs.”

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714 was introduced in the Senate on March 26, 2009. The bill’s 37 cosponsors in the Senate, include: Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Ranking Member Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Judiciary Committee member Senator Orrin G Hatch (R-U). The legislation was voted out of the Judiciary Committee January 21, and awaits a vote on the Senate floor.

Caption: April 27, 2010 – Senator Webb joins Representatives Fudge, Rooney, Delahunt, and Issa at a press conference announcing introduction of Webb’s National Criminal Justice Commission Act in the House of Representatives.