On February 8, 2011, I re-introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act (S. 306), which will create a blue-ribbon commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice system with an eye toward reshaping the criminal justice system from top to bottom. I believe that it is time to bring together the best minds in America to analyze the criminal justice system in its entirety, to examine its interlocking parts, to learn what works and what does not, and make recommendations for reform.
Why We Urgently Need this Legislation:
- With 5% of the world's population, our country now houses 25% of the world's reported prisoners.
- The number of incarcerated drug offenders has soared 1200% since 1980.
- Four times as many mentally ill people are in prisons than in mental health hospitals.
- Approximately 1 million gang members reside in the U.S., many of them foreign-based, and Mexican cartels operate in 230+ communities across the country.
- Post-incarceration re-entry programs are haphazard and often nonexistent, undermining public safety and making it extremely difficult for ex-offenders to become full, contributing members of society.
Irregularities and inequities in America’s criminal justice system challenge our notions of fundamental fairness. Even with historically large numbers of people in prisons and jails, the percentage of Americans who believe crime is worse than the previous year has steadily increased over the last decade, rising to 74 percent last year. Americans depend on the criminal justice system to maintain our safety and security. Our nation’s citizens expect it to be reliable and fair, in addition to being effective at deterring crime and punishing offenders. Enacting the National Criminal Justice Commission Act will take the long-overdue step of undertaking a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, producing recommendations for changes in oversight, policies, practices, and laws designed to prevent, deter, and reduce crime and violence, improve cost-effectiveness, and ensure the interests of justice at every step of the criminal justice system.
Re-introduction of the bill (S.306) in the 112th Congress
Passage of the bill in the House of Representatives
Introduction of the legislation in the House of Representatives
Legislation voted through Senate Judiciary Committee
MATERIALS & RESOURCES
National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2011 (S. 306):
Endorsement from Fraternal Order of Police
Endorsement from NAACP
Endorsement from National Sheriffs' Association
Endorsement from International Association of Chiefs of Police
Endorsement from the American Bar Association
Endorsement from the Major County Sheriffs' Association
National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 (S. 714):
Senator Webb's floor speech introducing S. 714
PARADE Magazine cover story, "What's Wrong with our Prisons?" Senator Jim Webb, Sunday March 29, 2009
The scope of the problem: relevant charts and graphs
List of support for the National Criminal Justice Commission Act Of 2009
Opening statement of Sen. Webb at Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on National Criminal Justice Commission Act, June 11, 2009
Watch Senator Webb's floor speech introducing the legislation, March 26, 2009
Senator Webb's article on the Huffington Post, "Why We Must Reform Our Criminal Justice System"
Joint Economic Committee Hearing, conducted by Senator Webb, "Mass Incarceration in the United States: At What Cost?" October 2007
Joint Economic Committee Hearing, conducted by Senator Webb, "Illegal Drugs: Economic Impact, Societal Costs, and Policy Responses," June 2008
George Mason University Symposium, hosted by Senator Webb and the GMU Administration of Justice Department, "Drugs in America: Trafficking, Policy and Sentencing," October 2008
Senator Webb's keynote address to the Brookings Institution's Policy Roundtable on the Challenges to Prisoner Re-entry, December 2008
William Bratton, Los Angeles Police Chief
Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Harvard Law School
Pat Nolan, Vice-President of the Prison Fellowship
CBS News Sunday Morning: "Incarceration Nation," April 22, 2012
Richmond Times-Dispatch: "NAACP backs Webb push for criminal justice study," September 21, 2010
Huntsville Times Editorial: "Alabama sentencing reforms a tough task," September 14, 2010
Los Angeles Times Editorial: "We need a National Criminal Justice Commission," May 31, 2010
New York Times Editorial: "They Don't Agree Often," May 10, 2010
Virginian Pilot editorial: "Time to reconsider U.S. justice system," April 6, 2009
Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star: "Behind-bars review," April 5, 2009
The Washington Post Writers Group: "Webb Leads the Charge for Much-Needed Drug, Prison Reform," April 5, 2009
Economist: "A Nation of Jailbirds," April 2, 2009
Daily Press: "Go After the Real Problem," March 31, 2009
New York Times: "Reviewing Criminal Justice," March 30, 2009
Lynchburg News & Advance: "Webb Takes on Politics' Third Rail: Prison Reform," March 29, 2009
Salon.com: "Jim Webb's courage v. the "pragmatism" excuse for politicians," March 28, 2009
The Virginian Pilot Editorial: "Time to Rethink Goals of Prison," January 5, 2009
Roanoke Times Editorial: "The Criminal Justice System Needs Help," January 5, 2009
Las Vegas Sun Editorial: "Voice for Broken Prisons," January 3, 2009
U.S. News & World Report: "James Webb Shows Leadership Regarding Prison Reform," January 2, 2009
New York Times Editorial: "Sen. Webb's Call for Prison Reform," January 1, 2009
Washington Post: "Webb Sets His Sights On Prison Reform," December 29, 2008
Daily Press: "Alternative to Jail for Addicts Gains New Supporter," December 28, 2008
The Virginian Pilot: "Senator Elevates Debate on Failed Drug, Prison Policies," October 18, 2008
The Roanoke Times Editorial: "A Sensible Call for Sentencing Reform," October 13, 2008
Washington Post Op-Ed: "Two Separate Societies: One in Prison, One Not," April 15, 2008