Corrections reform is the rarified air of politics that seems to have universal appeal. We all agree that we want an effective corrections system – releasing people better than when they came in. We also know that it is a combination of incarcerating the right people for the right amount of time with the right individualized programming within a safe and humane environment that is necessary to achieve that.
The First Step Act gets us much closer to that ideal. While you can find the details of the bill elsewhere, the process was fascinating.
So what’s the formula for bi-partisan agreement on a major public policy in D.C.?
Ingredient #1 – I believe you must start by having a policy that is well thought out, researched and likely to deliver the promised outcomes, and most importantly, solves an identified problem. First Step Act – CHECK
Ingredient #2 – Legislative champions who have the courage, conviction and clout to navigate and ever more difficult landscape, a willingness to compromise without compromising the intent of the bill, and a willingness to share credit. First Step Act – CHECK
Ingredient #3 – Citizens who care about the issue. Everyone has constituents. In theory, a representative republic channels the voice of the citizenry through their elected representatives. Unfortunately, recent times have left many citizens feeling undervalued and not represented, but the loud voice of a people united moves even the most unlovable issues. The opioid epidemic, more than any criminal justice phenomenon over my lifetime, has given citizens otherwise unaware of the inner workings of America’s “justice system” an intimate view of it and they don’t like what they see – CHECK
Ingredient #4 – Smart, engaged, bipartisan advocacy. Over the past decade dozens of advocacy groups have formed from multiple perspectives – conservative and progressive, religious, families of the incarcerated, families of and victims/survivors, formerly incarcerated individuals – all of which care about good criminal justice policies. In many cases, these groups divide, not generally over substance, but rather over…
