It's a hands-across-the aisle -- and across Hampton Roads -- kind of moment, with Rep. Bobby Scott , D-Newport News, and Rep. Scott Rigell , R-Virginia Beach, teaming up with Ds and Rs from around the country to push major reform of the federal prison system and federal criminal code.
It’s a hands-across-the aisle – and across Hampton Roads – kind of moment, with Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, and Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Virginia Beach, teaming up with Ds and Rs from around the country to push major reform of the federal prison system and federal criminal code.
The idea is to learn from efforts in several states that aim at making sure the system is fairer about who goes to prison, how they are treated when they are there and how best to keep them from breaking the law again when they are out. The bill is the result of a two year review spearheaded by Scott and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc.
The reform bill “utilizes an evidence-based approach to reduce over-criminalization and over-incarceration and reinvests the savings into community based prevention and early-intervention programs to improve public safety,” Scott said.
Rigell said similar reforms in 32 states have had the three-fold effect of cutting crime, cutting the number of people in prison and freeing up millions of dollars for other public safety programs.
Click on the headline to read the full story. ~ Newport News Daily Press
