Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Introduction of Bipartisan Justice System Reform

Washington, D.C. – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on today’s bipartisan Senate introduction of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017, a bill that will slow the growth of our federal prison population by reducing lengthy sentences for certain people convicted of nonviolent offenses:

“For over 40 years, the costly and racially discriminatory ‘War on Drugs’ has devastated communities of color and low-income communities, and failed to improve public safety. Reforming our justice system and ending mass incarceration is one of the most important civil and human rights issues of our time. We applaud Senators Grassley and Durbin for reintroducing bipartisan legislation that is a good step to reform this unjust system, reduce the costs of incarceration, and make our system more fair.

State and local lawmakers around the country, realizing that we cannot imprison our way to safety, have made important, commonsense reforms to make our system more fair and less costly. It is time for Congress to do the same and pass the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act. We look forward to swift consideration of this vital legislation.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of approximately 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 member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.