The First Step Act is a bipartisan prison reform bill designed to provide over “$50 million in funding for five years to provide job training, education and substance abuse treatment for prisoners as well as a number of quality-of-life measures aimed at reducing chronically high rates of recidivism among former inmates.” Recidivism is known as the rate which convicted criminals reoffend. Many Americans believe the US is facing a “nationwide imprisonment epidemic.” However, Congress faces disagreements regarding criminal justice reform. The First Step Act’s rival, Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, “promises lower sentences for nonviolent, low-level offenders and gives judges greater discretion at sentencing, among other provision.”
What are your thoughts on our criminal justice reform efforts?