Austin, TX — The U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act (H.R. 5682) by a vote of 360-59.  Sponsored by Representatives Doug Collins (R-GA) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the FIRST STEP Act improves the federal prison system by providing reentry programming to help reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and give those incarcerated a second chance once they have paid their debt to society. Right on Crime signatories former Attorney General of Virginia Ken Cuccinelli, former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, and Rebecca Hagelin with the Executive Committee of the Council for National Policy issued the following statements on House passage:

“As a former state Attorney General, I applaud the House of Representatives for approving the FIRST STEP Act.  In states like Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina, prison reform has proven successful in improving public safety, reducing recidivism, and saving taxpayer dollars,” said former Attorney General of Virginia Ken Cuccinelli. “The House of Representatives has truly taken the first step toward implementing similar reforms at the federal level and we hope the U.S. Senate will move quickly to also pass it and give incarcerated people the tools they need to become productive members of society.”

“America is a land of second chances; a nation of redemption and restoration. Thanks to the outstanding leadership of President Trump and a mighty coalition led by Jared Kushner, Congress took the first step to make sure that Federal prisons reflect these core American values,” said Rebecca Hagelin with the Executive Committee of the Council for National Policy. “As inmates are released in the coming years, we can expect to see a reduction in crime, a reduction in recidivism rates, and a new lease on life for those who have served their time. I will always cherish this day as one when Congress beautifully came together on behalf of all Americans!”

“Today’s vote is a victory for real solutions and hope for incarcerated individuals who want to live a law-abiding productive life,” said former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint. “It is an important step toward reducing crime, reducing costs, and giving a second chance to those who are willing to change. It offers redemption to those who have paid their due, and it offers families hope for a better future in which their loved one can succeed as a contributing member of society.”

Right on Crime is a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, in partnership  with the American Conservative Union Foundation and Prison Fellowship, that supports conservative solutions for reducing crime, restoring victims, reforming offenders, and lowering taxpayer costs. The movement was born in Texas in 2007, and in recent years, dozens of states such as Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, have led the way in implementing conservative criminal justice reforms.

Right on Crime has the support and works to mobilize the voices of more than ninety prominent conservative leaders who have endorsed the principles of conservative criminal justice reform, including former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Concerned Women for America President Penny Nance, former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, and Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist.

 

For more information about Right on Crime, please visit www.facebook.com/rightoncrime, @RightonCrime, www.youtube.com/rightoncrime

For more information or to schedule an interview with Right on Crime spokespersons, please contact Kevin McVicker at (703) 739-5920 or [email protected].

 

 

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