WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip
Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the
lead sponsors of the landmark First Step Act (FSA), today released the
following statement on the fourth anniversary of the FSA—bipartisan
criminal justice reform legislation designed to make our justice system fairer
and our communities safer by reforming sentencing laws and providing
opportunities for those who are incarcerated to prepare to re-enter society
successfully:
“Four years ago, Congress came together to pass the most important
criminal justice reform laws in a generation. The First Step Act
passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities and was supported by a broad
coalition of conservative and progressive groups alike. We were proud to
champion this landmark legislation.
“Now we are committed to doing all we can to ensure its proper
implementation. We will continue to press the Department of Justice
and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to fully implement the provisions of our
legislation and make good on its intent.”
Last
year, Durbin and Grassley introduced the bipartisan
First
Step Implementation Act, legislation that aims to further implement the
FSA and advance its goals. And last month, the Senators sent a
letter
to DOJ urging BOP to fully implement the Earned Time Credit (ETC) provisions of
the
FSA. Implementation of ETC provisions continues to fall short
at BOP, even four years after the
FSA was signed into law.
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