Matthew Charles, released thanks to the FIRST STEP Act, provides view of next steps for criminal justice reform

Matthew Charles has this new Washington Post commentary headlined "I was released under the First Step Act. Here’s what Congress should do next."  It merits a full read, and here are excerpts:

In December, Congress approved and Trump signed the First Step Act.  The new law included a provision that shortened sentences for crack cocaine-related offenses, such as mine.  The U.S. Sentencing Commission estimates that change will help almost 2,700 people.

This time, there was no mistake.  The government and my defense attorney agreed that I should be released immediately.  On Jan. 3, I went home.  I was one of the first people to get released under the law.

My heart is filled with gratitude for everyone who supported me and supported the First Step Act.  Every week, I hear about more people leaving prison because of the new law. Overall, more than 150,000 people in the long term will benefit from the law’s sentencing and prison reforms.  The First Step Act was a great start, but we have to do more.  I got a second chance — and so should so many others.

Since leaving prison, I have looked for ways to serve the poor and to advocate on behalf of those I left behind.  This week, I went to Washington to thank lawmakers for supporting prison reform and to ask that they consider more reforms that will recognize that people can change.  In the year and a half that I was home, people saw that I was not the same person who was convicted of selling crack as a young man.  There are many people still serving decades-long sentences who have rehabilitated themselves, like I did.  Unfortunately, most Americans do not see or hear from them, and they are not given a real opportunity to demonstrate that they have changed.

Congress should pass a law that would allow all federal prisoners to earn a second chance after serving a certain amount of time — maybe 15 years.  People would not be guaranteed release, but they would be given an opportunity to be resentenced by a judge.  The judge could determine whether they had used their time in prison to atone for their crimes and make changes for the better.  If not, they would continue to serve their original sentence.

A law such as this would encourage prisoners to improve themselves. Some might think this idea is too lenient, but 15 years is a long time.  From what I saw during my years behind bars, anyone who wants and deserves a second chance would be able to demonstrate that within 15 years....

I got lucky. Our justice system shouldn’t depend on luck.  The First Step Act is in place — now it should be used to make real change and help families.  And let’s not lose any time in making a Next Step Act, because everyone deserves a second chance.