"The First Step Act is a conservative, constructive approach to strengthening public safety"

The title of this post is a line from this new Hill commentary authored by Timothy Head and David Safavian. The piece is a response, of sorts, to the various attacks on the FIRST STEP Act by some GOP Prez candidates (discussed here and here), and here are excerpts:

[O]n occasion, Congress comes to its senses to pass impactful legislation.  And those moments of sensibility are often rooted in conservative principles.  Take the First Step Act, for example — a criminal justice bill supported by large majorities in the House and Senate and signed into law by then-President Trump in 2018.  The bill helped nonviolent prisoners earn shorter sentences through education and work, and it lowered certain mandatory minimum sentences that lacked any public safety benefit.  Data shows that the bill is reducing recidivism, which makes our communities safer.

But as the political season swings into full gear, the law has become the target of criticism from those who believe that a harsh criminal justice system is more effective in reducing crime.  Indeed, some have called for repeal of the legislation.  This is not only ill-informed, but it is also a short-sighted mistake.  Now is not the time to shy away from improving the criminal justice system; instead, we should build upon the First Step Act’s success....

The First Step Act is a conservative, constructive approach to strengthening public safety while giving those in prison a pathway to earning back the public’s trust.  Indeed, we helped craft the legislation in collaboration with public safety leaders and agencies, victims’ rights organizations, stakeholders in state legislatures, and everyday Americans impacted by our criminal justice system.

And the legislation has delivered positive results — not the least of which is a far lower recidivism rate for those who benefitted from the bill.  Because every instance of re-offending means another criminal case with another victim, recidivism is a key indicator of the performance of our criminal justice system.  When measured by recidivism, the benefits of the First Step Act are undeniable....

The First Step Act isn’t the only reform of the justice system that has been successful.  Conservatives also delivered smart but tough policies in the passage of the CARES Act in March 2020, near the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The CARES Act was known primarily for its economic relief designed for individuals and small businesses affected by the shutting down of the economy.  But the media has virtually ignored another aspect of the CARES Act, which helped almost 12,000 minimum security federal inmates finish their sentences in home confinement instead of in taxpayer-funded prison cells.  Since its implementation, there has been an astonishingly low recidivism rate of only 0.15 percent — just 17 prisoners committed new crimes.

As conservatives, we want the best for our communities, and part of that includes helping prisoners return home as good spouses, parents, and neighbors while reducing taxpayer costs.  For years, Congress has talked about reducing recidivism and restoring lives. But the successes of the First Step Act and the CARES Act underscore the importance of conservative values in shaping effective legislation that can be enacted.

Instead of trying to score cheap political points, politicians should continue working towards a more effective justice system that cuts crime, makes neighborhoods safer, and offers pathways to rehabilitation.  In doing so, conservatives can continue to earn the American people’s trust for years to come.

I find efforts to brand the FIRST STEP Act as "conservative" to be quite interesting, and I am thinking the line serving as the title of this post could provide the foundation for an interesting question in coming GOP candidate debates (the first of which is slated for next month).  Especially given that Prez Biden has, so far, achieved very little in the criminal justice reform space, I really would find interesting whether and how various GOP candidates (including former Prez Trump) might embrace or assail the FIRST STEP Act as a "conservative" legislative development.

Somewhat relatedly, here are a few other recent commentaries discussing federal justice reform issues and broader political dynamics:

From Forbes, "The Unnecessary Risk Of Incarcerating Minimum Security Inmates"

From The Marshall Project, "Why DeSantis Wants to Kill Trump’s Prison Reform Law"

From the Tampa Bay Times, "Here’s how Gov. DeSantis is trashing criminal justice reform"

Prior related posts:

• Florida Gov DeSantis reportedly gearing up to attack former Prez Trump for his support of FIRST STEP Act
• New GOP Prez candidate DeSantis pledges to repeal FIRST STEP Act 
• Interesting criminal justice news and notes from the GOP campaign trail