House Approves Flawed FIRST STEP Act; Senate Must Pass Comprehensive Justice Reform

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5682, the FIRST STEP Act:

“This vote signals a failure of commitment to transform our justice system. While the bill contains some positive provisions that could be accomplished administratively, this is a flawed bill. It fails to meaningfully address problems within our federal prison system, instead relying on untested risk assessments that could exacerbate racial and socioeconomic disparities. The bill also fails to provide relief to most immigrants. It also paves the way for private entities to profit and cedes outsize authority for implementing these provisions to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a well-known criminal justice reform opponent. We applaud and thank Ranking Member Jerry Nadler and Representatives Sheila Jackson–Lee, John Lewis, Pramila Jayapal, Danny Davis, and Maxine Waters for their steadfast leadership.

“The Senate should reject this approach. Instead they should work in a bipartisan manner to create a comprehensive reform package that will eliminate draconian mandatory minimum sentences, reduce racial disparities, address persistent overcrowding, expand rehabilitative programming, and cut the exorbitant costs of incarceration.”

The Leadership Conference, along with more than 100 organizations, sent a letter to the House urging opposition to the FIRST STEP Act. That letter is available here. The Leadership Conference will also include this vote in its voting scorecard for the 115th Congress.

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 member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.