Latest issue of the Federal Sentencing Reporter covers "The 2018 Debate over Federal Statutory Reform Proposals"

I am still so full of ideas and thoughts about what's next after the Senate's passage of the FIRST STEP Act, and in some future posts I will link to writings about second and thirst steps and so on.  But, coincidentally, just today I got notice that the December 2018 issue of the Federal Sentencing Reporter has just been published on-line, and it is a must-read for those looking to fully understand the background and back-story of the FIRST STEP Act.  

This Issue of FSR is already a bit dated, as it went to press last month before anyone was sure if Congress would get some version of the bill to the desk of the President.  But it still effectively highlights, thought the work and words of a number of leading reform advocates, why the path toward passage was so challenging and so important.  Here is snippet of my short introduction, followed by links to all the the original commentary:

This Issue of FSR provides a snapshot of the discussion and debate over the direction and scope offederal statutory reform proposals through 2018.  As of this writing, in early November 2018, meaningful lawmaking in this area is still just a possibility rather than an achieved reality; the momentum for reform that built through the first part of the year was halted by campaign dynamics as members of Congress turned their attention to the 2018 midterm elections.  But with President Trump reportedly embracing(in August) a compromise proposal that would add some [sentencing reform] provisions to the FIRST STEP Act, and with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledging to consider taking up criminal justice reform after the midterms, there remain reasons to be optimistic that all the big reform talk reflected in this Issue might yet produce big reform action before the end of 2018.

The materials in this Issue of FSR include both original commentary and primary documents that provide a flavor of the terms of the debate, in Congress and beyond, as political realities shifted from not believing any reform was possible during the Trump administration to strategizing just what kinds of reform should be prioritized. Georgetown Law Professor Shon Hopwood, a leading advocate for federal reforms, solicited original commentaries for this Issue that canvass the major provisions of key bills working their way through Congress in 2018.  Authored by some of the leading policy advocates involved on all sides of the conversation, these articles showcase why the scope and focus of statutory reform has engendered spirited debate.

Via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247011 http://www.rssmix.com/

Comments

Post a Comment