US Senator Corey Booker on Criminal Justice Reform – Fair Chance Business Pledge

Washington, DC – If someone had pulled aside the signers of the Declaration of Independence 240 years ago and told them that, one day, the country they founded would be home to the largest number of imprisoned people in the world, they might have been more than a little disappointed.

US Congressman Corey Booker (official congressional photo)

Yet this is where we find our country today: The United States, founded on the basis of liberty and justice for all, suffers from that distinction. Twenty five percent of all imprisoned people on our planet are imprisoned right here in America. And the fact of the matter is that, at the federal level, the majority of those imprisoned aren’t hardened, violent prisoners. Far too many are nonviolent, low-level drug offenders.

Thanks to policies enacted by Congress, our federal prison population has exploded by nearly 800 percent over the past the 30 years. And to pay for it, we’ve had to increase our prison spending by almost 400 percent. But the fact that these polices were enacted by our government in the first place should serve as a reminder that we have the agency to change them.

Momentum is building across America — in states, in the federal government, in both political parties — to change this misapplication of justice that so grossly misrepresents our priorities as a nation.

A diverse coalition of individuals, groups, and organizations — ranging from Democrats to Republicans to law enforcement officials and clergy — have come together to call for a comprehensive change in the trajectory of our justice system. And under President Obama’s leadership, the collective vision of these groups has found a home and a voice in the White House.

I have been proud to stand by President Obama as he has taken courageous steps in recent years to make our justice system more just.

Today, the White House is announcing that over 300 companies and organizations have signed the Fair Chance Business Pledge, a commitment to eliminate unnecessary hiring barriers facing people with a criminal record. Along with this step and a series of Administrative actions to enhance the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system, he’s shown that the federal government can lead the way to progress.

President Obama has created a legacy of bold action that we must carry on to elevate the cause of criminal justice reform, from Congress to statehouses across the country.

But the conversation can’t stop there, and neither can the work. We must once again declare that we are a nation of independence, rooted in the spirit of interdependence. What happens to any of us, happens to all of us — and we won’t get where we want to go faster by leaving anyone behind.

I look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with you in this fight to reclaim our criminal justice system in the years to come.

Thank you,
Cory Booker
U.S. Senator

Criminal Justice Reform Update A Column by South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard

Criminal Justice Reform Update

A column by Gov. Dennis Daugaard:

In January of 2012, I introduced in my State of the State Address a proposal to comprehensively reform our criminal justice system. The Public Safety Improvement Act legislation was pieced together with help from the Chief Justice, legislative leaders and stakeholders from across the state. The bill passed with overwhelming support.

Aimed at addressing prison overcrowding and improving public safety, the proposal restructured our sentencing framework for non-violent offenders. It included new and improved probation accountability programs like drug and alcohol courts, making it the largest investment in the history of our state for correctional behavioral health.

Four-and-a-half years later, we are seeing positive developments.

Among the successes is probation. Under the new law, felony probationers can reduce the duration of their probation by 30 days each time they complete 30 days of perfect behavior. Last fiscal year, offenders reduced their time on probation by 809,250 days. That’s more than 2,000 years-worth of probation credit. Probationers who do well early in their probation term are very unlikely to violate later in their term, so this reform allows probation officers to focus on supervising those who need it. Even though probation numbers are higher than what they were in 2012, a very small number of individuals on presumptive probation – less than one percent – committed a violent crime and were sent to prison.

A similar arrangement for earned parole time was established under the law. Parolees last year earned hundreds of thousands of days in parole credit. Since passage of the Public Safety Improvement Act, more parolees are being successfully monitored within their communities.

A total of 540 individuals have completed substance abuse treatment created by the Act. In fact, our treatment completion rate is 11 percent higher than the national average. Because of the reforms, more offenders are receiving the help they need through drug and DUI courts. More mothers and fathers are able to stay in their communities and provide for their children.

These are tremendous accomplishments, and I am proud of our work. Still, there are areas where we would like to see more improvement. The total prison population is lower than it would have been without the reforms, but it is higher than our projections had predicted. We need to understand why this is happening and determine if it can be addressed.

One particular area of concern is the regional increase in meth trafficking, which South Dakota and neighboring states have experienced over the past seven or eight years. Like our neighbors, South Dakota is seeing more meth-related arrests and convictions. While the Public Safety Improvement Act was not designed to address drug trafficking, we need to consider whether our practices need to adapt to address the growing number of drug-related incarcerations.

I have invited a group of stakeholders to work on these issues. They represent law enforcement, prosecutors and defense attorneys, corrections, and the court system. These stakeholders are in the process of reviewing the data and they will make recommendations to me on how to further improve our criminal justice system. With their help, I am confident we will find solutions to make South Dakota a safer place.

Just as we all tend to overlook our own shortcomings, some politicians tend to defend their programs at all costs. I have tried to do the opposite. I define success by studying the data and facts, not anecdotes and feelings, and I’m always willing to consider new information. The Public Safety Improvement Act has achieved much success, but it could be better. As always, we are working to do what we can to achieve a complete success.