Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Further Bipartisan Action on Justice System Reform

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Washington, D.C. – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on today’s bipartisan House introduction of the Smarter Sentencing Act of 2013, a bill that will slow the growth of our federal prison population by reducing lengthy sentences for certain people convicted of nonviolent offenses:

“Today’s bipartisan introduction of the Smarter Sentencing Act in the House is yet another example of Republicans and Democrats coming together to advance important reforms to our criminal justice system.  The lead sponsors of this bill, Congressmen Raul Labrador and Bobby Scott, come from opposite sides of the aisle but both understand that these reforms to our criminal justice system are both morally right and financially sound.

Thirty years of ‘tough on crime’ sentencing has created an unjust system that imprisons more people than in any other industrialized nation in the world, a disproportionate number of whom are Black, Latino, low-income, and nonviolent.

We cannot imprison our way to safety. The Smarter Sentencing Act is a reasonable reform that will ensure that we are using our prison space and resources in the most efficient and humane way we can.

This legislation has clear bipartisan momentum and we welcome today’s bill introduction as another step toward a more humane, fair, and affordable justice system.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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