Interfaith Criminal Justice Coalition
Our beliefs direct us to protect the dignity and well-being of everyone impacted by the criminal justice system. That commitment extends to people who are victimized by crime, as well as to those who commit offenses. Current federal law demands harsh punishment for even low-level drug offenses. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act seeks to restore proportionality and fairness to federal sentencing and aid in rehabilitation for people in prison. Tell your senators to support this bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation.
Here is sample text from the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church:
Subject: Pass S. 2123, Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act
As a person of faith, I am concerned about long mandatory minimum sentences that incarcerate too many people for low-level drug offenses, and I oppose a criminal justice system that ignores human dignity and a person’s capacity for redemption. Therefore, I am very pleased by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s actions in October to advance the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, S. 2123. As your constituent, I urge you to cosponsor it and hope you will ask that Senate leadership prioritize its passage by the full Senate.
Mandatory minimum sentences have contributed to an overwhelming increase in the federal prison population since 1980. These penalties are unwarranted, exacerbate racial disparities and perpetuate dangerous prison overcrowding. S. 2123 is an important step toward fixing the federal prison crisis because of its reductions in sentences and retroactive effects.
The bill’s provisions also limit federal life sentences for youth and adults and would end solitary confinement for juveniles. These critical elements recognize the capacity for people to change and that people deserve a second chance.
While the bill marks just the beginning in a long-term effort to end mass incarceration in the United States, it is a commendable bipartisan compromise. I look forward to you supporting it and the bill’s ultimate enactment into law.
Learn more here – http://action.umc-gbcs.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=17664
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