Tuesday on the “Hugh Hewitt Show,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) commented on the prison reform bill’s status, doubting there is sufficient time left in the session to get it passed.
Cotton said there are “ongoing changes, seemingly by the hour from the advocates of this bill that they’re not releasing in public,” which is holding up getting the bill passed.
“It’s getting pretty late in the day in this lame duck session to be making changes in such a highly-complex area of law that have such grave consequences for public safety,” Cotton told Hugh Hewitt. If they do want to move forward, I certainly hope they would exclude all fentanyl traffickers from any kind of leniency or sentencing reduction. But if, Hugh, if what they really want to do is reduce recidivism, which we should do in our country, people who have paid their debts to society should have a chance to get back on their feet and not be a menace to society, it’s very simple. Simply delete from the bill all the provisions that allow people to get out of prison early, that reduce sentences for repeat or serious offenders, and that apply these changes retroactively.”
He continued, “There is common ground on trying to provide prisoners education such as GED programs or job training in technical career skills, giving them counseling and mentoring programs, especially faith-based ones. We should be focusing on that common ground. We shouldn’t be slashing sentences and releasing child abusers and serious felons and drug dealers early from prison. – READ MORE