Letter | Sen. Graham backs national Criminal Justice Commission
From Sen. Lindsey Graham’s office:
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) has cosponsored the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2015, bipartisan legislation that would create a National Criminal Justice Commission to review the criminal justice system from top to bottom and propose reforms to address serious issues facing our nation’s criminal justice system.
The legislation would establish a 14-member, bipartisan National Criminal Justice Commission charged with completing an 18-month, comprehensive review of the national criminal justice system, including federal, state, local, and tribal criminal justice systems, and with issuing recommendations for changes in oversight, policies, practices and laws to reduce crime, increase public safety, and promote confidence in the criminal justice system. The Commission would be made up of Presidential and Congressional appointees, including experts on law enforcement, criminal justice, victims’ rights, civil liberties, and social services.
“This is a long overdue measure,” said Graham, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee. “The men and women representing law enforcement understand the need for this legislation, and I appreciate them pushing Congress to move forward on this important issue. I think the nation will be better off with this essential top-to-bottom review of the most pressing issues facing our nation’s criminal justice system.”
Recent incidents and civil unrest have highlighted the need for a top-to-bottom evaluation of our criminal justice system. The transparent and bipartisan National Criminal Justice Commission would provide a better understanding of community relationships with law enforcement and the administration of justice through our court system, and identify effective policies to address a broad range of issues in the criminal justice system including crime reduction, incarceration, and prisoner reentry.
The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2015 is supported by a broad coalition of criminal justice organizations, including law enforcement, crime victims, and criminal justice reform advocates.
The writer is a U.S. Senator for South Carolina.
This story was originally published April 30, 2015 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Letter | Sen. Graham backs national Criminal Justice Commission."