Statement on U.S. Department of Justice Stakeholder Listening Session on First Step Act Implementation
The Sentencing Project submitted written comments for a U.S. Department of Justice Stakeholder Listening Session on First Step Act Implementation.
Related to: Sentencing Reform, Federal Advocacy, Incarceration
On December 21, 2018, former President Donald Trump signed the First Step Act. The law has two overarching goals: corrections reforms aim to expand recidivism reduction programming to hasten people’s transfer from prison to community corrections; and sentencing reforms reduce extreme sentences for certain federal offenses. In the first two and a half years since the First Step Act’s passage, implementation has been problematic, and efforts to thoroughly evaluate progress are hindered by a lack of transparency by the Department of Justice.
