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On this episode of the AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Brent Orrell hosts Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Doug Collins (R-GA) for a conversation about their bill, the FIRST STEP Act. Among other things, the bill would expand opportunities for rehabilitation and vocational training in federal prisons and increase the use of risk assessment tools.
In their opening remarks, Reps. Jeffries and Collins discussed the importance of finding common ground in the midst of a polarized Congress, and Rep. Jeffries noted that criminal justice reform has become a bipartisan issue where some forward movement is possible. While both members conceded that the new bill does not address every issue they would like to see resolved, it captures what Rep. Collins dubbed “the art of the possible.”
The Q&A centered on how the two members found areas of agreement and on the nature of the bill itself. The bill, both men noted, intentionally does not address sentencing reform. This is because sentencing reform tends to be much more contentious in Congress, with many members feeling that it gives people a free pass for bad behavior. They noted, however, that doing nothing would be a disservice to incarcerated individuals and their families, who deserve change.
This event took place on July 12, 2018.
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