The Senate on Tuesday passed the most significant criminal-justice-reform package in recent decades by an overwhelming and bipartisan margin.
The First Step Act, which passed the Senate 87-12, aims to reduce mass incarceration and high recidivism rates by expanding the pool of inmates eligible to participate in early-release programs and increasing judicial discretion with respect to sentencing.
Members of the House on both sides of the aisle have vowed to pass the legislative package this week and President Trump has publicly endorsed and pledged to sign it.
The legislation received endorsements from a wide array of political advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Koch brothers’ Right on Crime, and lawmakers from across the political spectrum.
Despite benefitting from broad bipartisan support, the legislation brought the intra-Republican divide over criminal justice into sharp relief as hardliners led by Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas accused their fellow Republicans of jeopardizing the public safety by reducing the sentences of violent criminals and major drug traffickers.
Cotton and Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana proposed a series of amendments to the bill that reduced the population of inmates eligible for early release, among other amendments, all of which were voted down by a narrow margin Tuesday night.
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