Politics PRESIDENT TRUMP ON PRISON REFORM

[MARIS61]

I hire felons.

You're that Ocean guy?

 

[MARIS61]

Your clients children are more likely to die in a car wreck driving there than to be murdered if they stayed here.

barfo

Portland Crime Data - Crime Index = 4 (100 is safest)

Safer than 4% of U.S. Cities!
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/or/portland/crime

 

[MARIS61]

President Trump freed me from prison – I’m glad he wants to give other nonviolent offenders their freedom

By Alice Johnson | Fox News
Alice Marie Johnson on the second chance Trump has given her
On June 6, I walked out of prison as a free woman after serving almost 22 years of my life sentence on a first-time nonviolent drug conviction, thanks to a decision by President Trump to commute my sentence to time served. I was thrilled to hear the president say this week that he is looking to give early release to additional nonviolent prisoners like me.

"Alice Johnson is such a great person, such a great case,” President Trump told reporters Tuesday. “I'd like to find a lot of people like Alice Johnson. And there are a lot of people that are in a situation like that. And we are actively looking for those situations."

And President Trump added, still talking about me: “I've been watching her a lot and what a great spokesman she is for that situation. And that's covering a lot of people. There are a lot of people like that, that will unfortunately be locked up for many, many years, and there's no reason for it."

I want to thank President Trump for those kind words, for freeing me from prison, and now for considering freeing many others like me.

The day I was released from prison was the greatest day of my life – and hearing the president say he wants to free additional nonviolent prisoners was another great day.

My release was a miracle that gave me a chance to start life over again. I would love to see other deserving prisoners experience the same miracle.

Many other nonviolent offenders in federal prisons today are – like me – no danger to society, and I look forward to having President Trump and members of his administration examine their cases.

I can never thank the president enough. He heard my voice, gave life to my hope and promise to my future. I am a 63-year-old grandmother who just wants to live in peace and enjoy my family. There is zero chance I will ever break the law again.

President Trump is granted clemency to Alice Marie Johnson, a great-grandmother who was sentenced to a life sentence in prison for non-violent drug charges. (Can Do Clemency Foundation)

Many other nonviolent offenders in federal prisons today are – like me – no danger to society, and I look forward to having President Trump and members of his administration examine their cases. Many of these men and women have spent long years in prison and deserve to receive clemency or a commutation of their sentences from the president.

Freeing these offenders early would be an act of justice and mercy, as granting me my freedom was. And early release would save taxpayers the cost of feeding and housing these people for years after they have paid their debt to society.

When President Obama began granting clemency to nonviolent offenders near the end of his presidency, he gave hope to thousands of people like me. By 2016, I was 20 years into my life sentence.

My path to prison began at a time in my life when I faced some desperate choices. I made a terrible decision to participate in a drug conspiracy – a decision I very much regret.

But during my two decades in prison, I accomplished an extraordinary rehabilitation – writing plays, volunteering in the prison hospice, becoming an ordained minister and mentoring to young women in prison. By 2016 I was a new woman living a new life, even if it was a life I thought was destined to be lived only behind bars.

President Obama’s clemency initiative gave me hope. I had been told not to hope, not to dream, because I would never be set free.

As his presidency came to a close, President Obama began releasing hundreds of other nonviolent offenders, and I became sure I would be released as well. My prison warden, captain, case manager and vocational training instructor all recommended I be granted clemency.

Unfortunately, I was left behind. President Obama left office without giving me the chance to start a new life. And I learned that putting your hope in one man is a mistake, because when that hope dies, you think all your hope has to die.

When I received the denial letter from the Office of the Pardon Attorney, I was devastated. I don’t know why my request was denied, because no explanation was given. But that decision left me so disappointed.

My petition met all the criteria for clemency. I had reformed my life in prison and I felt it should have been clear to anyone that I would contribute to society if I was released. But President Obama left, President Trump arrived and I was told again to give up hope.

I didn’t.

I kept fighting for myself because I know that hearts can change, and no matter what administration is in power, you have to be willing to come to the table, sit down and talk about whether you can find common ground.

Thankfully, Jared Kushner and others working for President Trump have worked to keep clemency and criminal justice reform alive. They can see that not every person who makes a mistake deserves for that mistake to define the rest of their life. They know that hope is important, but it must also be turned into meaningful change.

A lot of people have told me they saw the video of me running across the road after President Trump commuted my sentence as I was released from prison – celebrating, crying and hugging my family as tightly as I could. What they haven’t been able to see is that I haven’t stopped running since that day.

I’m still running and still fighting – not for my case, but for all those other deserving people behind bars who were left behind when President Obama left office.

I did not leave prison bitter. I love America and believe in the inherent goodness of the American people and the possibility of redemption.

Now it is President Trump who can make history if he takes the opportunity to go further than any president before him by giving second chances to thousands of people who just need someone to hear them.

The president has a power that the Constitution grants to him alone to both show mercy and deliver justice for people who were given excessively long sentences for crimes involving no violence. The people who deserve to be freed are those who have long since recognized their mistakes and who have rehabilitated themselves during their time in prison.

I will never forget what President Trump did for me. He changed my life and gave me the opportunity to fulfill my potential, and now he has the chance to do the same for thousands more.

People on both sides of the aisle have come to realize that criminal justice reform isn’t a left or right issue. We can and must incarcerate criminals when appropriate – but we should recognize that there is also room for redemption and rehabilitation.

Alice Johnson was released from prison by President Trump after serving almost 22 years for a nonviolent drug conviction.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/pre...give-other-nonviolent-offenders-their-freedom

 

[jlprk]

Alice Johnson was released from prison by President Trump after serving almost 22 years for a nonviolent drug conviction.

The crappy legal system is evil.

 

[barfo]

Portland Crime Data - Crime Index = 4 (100 is safest)

Safer than 4% of U.S. Cities!
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/or/portland/crime

And yet you are the guy who feels he needs a gun for protection when he walks in the woods in La Pine.

barfo

 

[Lanny]

Lindsey GRAHAM "Tuesday we had a president that I was proud to golf with, call my friend, who understood immigration had to be bipartisan ... I don't know where that guy went. I want him back."

Awwwww... he lost his friend.

He even broke up with Putin. Kim, Jong Un is now his main squeeze.

 

[Lanny]

Lots of talk in this about "job training" for prisoners and re-assimilating them into society, but our society is basically set up to exclude ex-convicts regardless of their best efforts. It doesn't seem to matter how much training or how many professional licenses people get if employers are going to automatically disqualify applicants with criminal records, which most do. Yeah, they "need to be able to get hired"--but what do you do if you have the training, but still nobody is willing to hire you?

And no, I don't claim in any way to have the answer, but for the President and these governors to act like job training will be some panacea ridiculously oversimplifies the issue.

That's only from one side of his mouth. You've got to pay attention to the other side.

 

[Lanny]

And yet you are the guy who feels he needs a gun for protection when he walks in the woods in La Pine.

barfo

You never know when some crazed Leftist is going to break into your house and you'll need to shoot him 20 times in the chest. Yes, it can happen in La Pine thanks to Lefties.

 

[donkiez]

Portland Crime Data - Crime Index = 4 (100 is safest)

Safer than 4% of U.S. Cities!
https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/or/portland/crime

According to this website La Pine is only safer than 31% of US cities. Also I have not found a major US city that is better than 10%

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/or/la-pine/crime

 

[Propagandist]

Whoa...bad Latter Day Saints! https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ut/salt-lake-city/crime

 

[MARIS61]

And yet you are the guy who feels he needs a gun for protection when he walks in the woods in La Pine.

barfo

We're a tourist destination for Portlanders.

 

[Lanny]

According to this website La Pine is only safer than 31% of US cities. Also I have not found a major US city that is better than 10%

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/or/la-pine/crime

Where are rehabilitation centers located? Out in the country? Of course not. They dump them all in the cities.

However, if we're going to get into this argument over which locale is better, then I have to ask where are the major scientific breakthroughs occurring? In the country? How about the medical advances? Which area supports the other?

We're a tourist destination for Portlanders.

You'd better prepare yourself for crazed Lefties trying to break into your homes in an attempt to steal your drugs and rape your white women.

 

[dviss1]

The black racists want to prey on white people and not have to go to prison.

This is a stupid post.

Black people generally don't commit violent crimes against white people. Go look at the FBI crime data. I'll wait.

Proximity is a MF.

Do some research before you say shit you just made up.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

This is a stupid post.

Black people generally don't commit violent crimes against white people. Go look at the FBI crime data. I'll wait.

Proximity is a MF.

Do some research before you say shit you just made up.

I need to research things before I can be sarcastic?

 

[Lanny]

I need to research things before I can be sarcastic?

It's very tricky and not always successful to pull off sarcasm in a public forum like this. There's a lot of nuance that get's missed or not communicated in written language.

I swear, there are an awful lot of arguments just because people misunderstand each other.

 

[dviss1]

I need to research things before I can be sarcastic?

No..... And now that I know it's sarcasm it's actually pretty funny.



Y'all know my sarcasm meter is broken.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

No..... And now that I know it's sarcasm it's actually pretty funny.



Y'all know my sarcasm meter is broken.

I've told you that my ability to refrain from being sarcastic is almost non existent.

 

[MARIS61]

One of the biggest reasons President Trump asked for Jeff Sessions to retire was that Sessions refused to get on board with the President on Prison Reform, a main part of the platform he got elected on and an injustice he greatly wants to correct.

Trump: 'I make the decision' on prison reform, not Sessions
By REBECCA MORIN

10/11/2018 09:59 AM EDT

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States criminal justice system needs reform and is "very unfair to African-Americans" and that he would overrule Attorney General Jeff Sessions if he tried to stand in the way of changes.

The White House in August agreed to hold off on prison and sentencing reform legislation until after the midterm elections. The Department of Justice supported the stance, saying that the legislation would put "drug traffickers back on our streets."

But on Thursday, asked during a phone call with "Fox & Friends" whether Sessions is standing in the way of criminal justice reform, Trump said the decision is not up to the attorney general.

"He gets overruled by me," Trump said. "I make the decision, he doesn't."

"We do need reform, and that doesn't mean easy," the president said during the wide-ranging 40-minute interview. "We're going to make certain categories tougher when it comes to drug dealing and other things, but there has to be a reform because it is very unfair right now. It's very unfair to African-Americans. It is very unfair to everybody, and it is also very costly."

The president also touted that his "polls went up like 25 percent" after the rapper came out in support of him, adding that he has "a big, big following" and "is respected."

"You know what he wants? He is not asking anything for himself," Trump said. "He doesn't say, 'Gee, I want to do this or that.' He is a private guy. He wants to help people. I think maybe more than anything is prison reform because his wife was terrific, Kim. She brought the attention to Mrs. Johnson."

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/11/trump-prison-reform-892163

 

[MARIS61]

Black people generally don't commit violent crimes against white people.

Absolutely true.

Most violence against blacks is by blacks, and most violence against caucasians is by caucasians.

But let's ignore 95% of all crime and get everyone fixated on the anomaly of violent racism in America, something that is statistically insignificant.

 

[Lanny]

One of the biggest reasons President Trump asked for Jeff Sessions to retire was that Sessions refused to get on board with the President on Prison Reform, a main part of the platform he got elected on and an injustice he greatly wants to correct.

Trump: 'I make the decision' on prison reform, not Sessions
By REBECCA MORIN

10/11/2018 09:59 AM EDT

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States criminal justice system needs reform and is "very unfair to African-Americans" and that he would overrule Attorney General Jeff Sessions if he tried to stand in the way of changes.

The White House in August agreed to hold off on prison and sentencing reform legislation until after the midterm elections. The Department of Justice supported the stance, saying that the legislation would put "drug traffickers back on our streets."

But on Thursday, asked during a phone call with "Fox & Friends" whether Sessions is standing in the way of criminal justice reform, Trump said the decision is not up to the attorney general.

"He gets overruled by me," Trump said. "I make the decision, he doesn't."

"We do need reform, and that doesn't mean easy," the president said during the wide-ranging 40-minute interview. "We're going to make certain categories tougher when it comes to drug dealing and other things, but there has to be a reform because it is very unfair right now. It's very unfair to African-Americans. It is very unfair to everybody, and it is also very costly."

The president also touted that his "polls went up like 25 percent" after the rapper came out in support of him, adding that he has "a big, big following" and "is respected."

"You know what he wants? He is not asking anything for himself," Trump said. "He doesn't say, 'Gee, I want to do this or that.' He is a private guy. He wants to help people. I think maybe more than anything is prison reform because his wife was terrific, Kim. She brought the attention to Mrs. Johnson."

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/11/trump-prison-reform-892163

Actually, he has not other recourse, should an Attorney General dig in his heels, than to fire the Attorney General and he wouldn't do that, would he?

 

[Lanny]

Absolutely true.

Most violence against blacks is by blacks, and most violence against caucasians is by caucasians.

But let's ignore 95% of all crime and get everyone fixated on the anomaly of violent racism in America, something that is statistically insignificant.

Not insignificant if you're the target of said crime. As far as statistics go, an awful lot of crime is unreported by the victime or by the police. I reported to the police in St. Louis that my czr was broken into. The apartment manager said they needed a copy of the police report that I filed before they could put their security on my apartment building out of the many buildings they managed. I went back the next day and asked for a copy of my report. The officer went into a back room and emerged after some time and said "What report?" They wadded it up and threw it in the trash as soon as I left after filing the report in the first place.

 

[MARIS61]

Graham: 'Wouldn't It Be Ironic' If Trump Undid Bill Clinton's 'Three Strikes Law'

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said it would be "ironic" to see President Trump undo a harsh criminal justice law passed by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Graham appeared to reference how the Clintons and Democrats writ large are seen as the people who want to help minorities and those who have served time in prison.
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/11/...-three-strikes-rule-and-help-criminal-justice
Sean Hannity noted how, with the urging of Kim Kardashian West, Trump pardoned Alice Marie Johnson -- a grandmother who had been sentenced to decades behind bars for a drug conviction.

"Wouldn't it be ironic if it were Donald Trump that would fix the problems created by the 'three strikes, you're out' rule passed by Bill Clinton," Graham said. The law prescribes for harsher penalties for repeat offenders.

"Wouldn't it be ironic if [Trump] allowed thousands of African-American and Hispanic males a second chance," Graham said.

In 2015, Clinton said he regretted passing the Three Strikes Law, saying he "made a problem worse and I want to admit it," according to the BBC.
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/11/...-three-strikes-rule-and-help-criminal-justice

 

[Lanny]

Graham: 'Wouldn't It Be Ironic' If Trump Undid Bill Clinton's 'Three Strikes Law'

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said it would be "ironic" to see President Trump undo a harsh criminal justice law passed by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Graham appeared to reference how the Clintons and Democrats writ large are seen as the people who want to help minorities and those who have served time in prison.
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/11/...-three-strikes-rule-and-help-criminal-justice
Sean Hannity noted how, with the urging of Kim Kardashian West, Trump pardoned Alice Marie Johnson -- a grandmother who had been sentenced to decades behind bars for a drug conviction.

"Wouldn't it be ironic if it were Donald Trump that would fix the problems created by the 'three strikes, you're out' rule passed by Bill Clinton," Graham said. The law prescribes for harsher penalties for repeat offenders.

"Wouldn't it be ironic if [Trump] allowed thousands of African-American and Hispanic males a second chance," Graham said.

In 2015, Clinton said he regretted passing the Three Strikes Law, saying he "made a problem worse and I want to admit it," according to the BBC.
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/11/...-three-strikes-rule-and-help-criminal-justice

Yes, that would be ironic. Clinton goofed with that and he goofed big time. However, Clinton was responding to political pressure to get tough on crime.
However, I'm curious as to why so many Liberal organizations oppose the proposed bill. I'd like to hear more.

 

[donkiez]

Not sure if ironic is the right word but I would apolaude Trump if he did remove 3 strikes. It's a terrible law.

 

[MARIS61]

Unless a few anti-Trumpers obstruct, another of Trump's campaign promises will be kept.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/criminal-justice-reform-bill-clears-first-test-vote-in-senate

Criminal justice reform bill clears first test vote in Senate
Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says lawmakers will vote on a bipartisan package after President Trump pressured him to get it done; chief congressional correspondent Mike Emanuel reports from Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON – Legislation that would ease federal sentencing laws for some offenders cleared its first major test vote Monday, garnering overwhelming support in both parties even as some conservatives portrayed the bill as soft on crime.

The Senate voted 82-12 to advance the bill. A vote on final passage would come later in the week, but not until the chamber has debated and voted on a series of amendments from opponents that will be brought up Tuesday.

The bill would give judges more discretion when sentencing drug offenders and allow about 2,600 federal prisoners sentenced for crack cocaine offenses before August 2010 the opportunity to petition for a reduced penalty. The bill also encourages prisoners to participate in programs designed to reduce the risk of recidivism, with the reward being the accumulation of credits that can be used to gain an earlier release to a halfway house or home confinement to finish out their sentence.

To win over wary senators, sponsors tweaked the bill to prevent those convicted of violent firearm offenses, sexual exploitation of children and high-level fentanyl and heroin dealing from participating in the supervised release program -- but Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and others want to expand that list.

Their amendment would add carjacking, bank robbery by force, felony sex crimes and other "felony crimes of violence" to the list of offenses that make a prisoner ineligible.

The bill has created a unique split in the GOP camp, while Democrats are overwhelmingly supportive.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, a former federal prosecutor, is among the bill's champions. He said he has been haunted by the words of a federal judge who sentenced a low-level drug offender carrying a gun to 55 years in prison, noting that murderers, rapists and terrorists could get less time for their offense. He said only Congress could fix the problem.

"Those comments have stayed with me ever since," Lee said.

The bill follows the lead of states such as Texas that have experienced a decrease in crime in recent years while keeping fewer people in prison. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said his home state has been able to close eight prisons since undertaking various prison reforms, such as investing in probation staffing and getting prisoners into drug treatment more quickly.

"This is not about being tough on crime, or soft on crime," Cornyn said. "This is about being smart on crime and getting the best results."

Supporters of the bill warn that amendments from Cotton and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., could cause the compromise to unravel if the Senate approves any of them as early as Tuesday. A unique cross-section of liberal and conservative advocacy groups have rallied in support of the bill.

David Safavian, general counsel for the American Conservative Union, said the bill's critics ignore that offenders would be subject to strict oversight while completing their sentence at halfway houses or in home custody. The prisoners also have to show through objective criteria that they are a low risk to society before obtaining supervised release.

Under the current process, nearly half of released federal prisoners are arrested again.

"And every case of recidivism is another victim, is another crime, is another prosecution, is another trial, is another prison cell, all funded with taxpayer dollars," Safavian said. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing conservative about protecting a non-functioning prison bureaucracy."

If the legislation passes the Senate, the House is expected to approve it quickly. The House had earlier passed legislation that focused on boosting prisoner rehabilitation programs but did not include changes to sentencing laws that critics say had led to overly harsh sentences for many nonviolent offenders, particularly African-Americans.

The bill looked to have stalled a couple weeks ago, but supporters led by President Donald Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner persuaded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to allow for the Senate vote before Congress adjourns.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/criminal-justice-reform-bill-clears-first-test-vote-in-senate

 

[Lanny]

Unless a few anti-Trumpers obstruct, another of Trump's campaign promises will be kept.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/criminal-justice-reform-bill-clears-first-test-vote-in-senate

Criminal justice reform bill clears first test vote in Senate
Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says lawmakers will vote on a bipartisan package after President Trump pressured him to get it done; chief congressional correspondent Mike Emanuel reports from Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON – Legislation that would ease federal sentencing laws for some offenders cleared its first major test vote Monday, garnering overwhelming support in both parties even as some conservatives portrayed the bill as soft on crime.

The Senate voted 82-12 to advance the bill. A vote on final passage would come later in the week, but not until the chamber has debated and voted on a series of amendments from opponents that will be brought up Tuesday.

The bill would give judges more discretion when sentencing drug offenders and allow about 2,600 federal prisoners sentenced for crack cocaine offenses before August 2010 the opportunity to petition for a reduced penalty. The bill also encourages prisoners to participate in programs designed to reduce the risk of recidivism, with the reward being the accumulation of credits that can be used to gain an earlier release to a halfway house or home confinement to finish out their sentence.

To win over wary senators, sponsors tweaked the bill to prevent those convicted of violent firearm offenses, sexual exploitation of children and high-level fentanyl and heroin dealing from participating in the supervised release program -- but Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and others want to expand that list.

Their amendment would add carjacking, bank robbery by force, felony sex crimes and other "felony crimes of violence" to the list of offenses that make a prisoner ineligible.

The bill has created a unique split in the GOP camp, while Democrats are overwhelmingly supportive.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, a former federal prosecutor, is among the bill's champions. He said he has been haunted by the words of a federal judge who sentenced a low-level drug offender carrying a gun to 55 years in prison, noting that murderers, rapists and terrorists could get less time for their offense. He said only Congress could fix the problem.

"Those comments have stayed with me ever since," Lee said.

The bill follows the lead of states such as Texas that have experienced a decrease in crime in recent years while keeping fewer people in prison. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said his home state has been able to close eight prisons since undertaking various prison reforms, such as investing in probation staffing and getting prisoners into drug treatment more quickly.

"This is not about being tough on crime, or soft on crime," Cornyn said. "This is about being smart on crime and getting the best results."

Supporters of the bill warn that amendments from Cotton and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., could cause the compromise to unravel if the Senate approves any of them as early as Tuesday. A unique cross-section of liberal and conservative advocacy groups have rallied in support of the bill.

David Safavian, general counsel for the American Conservative Union, said the bill's critics ignore that offenders would be subject to strict oversight while completing their sentence at halfway houses or in home custody. The prisoners also have to show through objective criteria that they are a low risk to society before obtaining supervised release.

Under the current process, nearly half of released federal prisoners are arrested again.

"And every case of recidivism is another victim, is another crime, is another prosecution, is another trial, is another prison cell, all funded with taxpayer dollars," Safavian said. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing conservative about protecting a non-functioning prison bureaucracy."

If the legislation passes the Senate, the House is expected to approve it quickly. The House had earlier passed legislation that focused on boosting prisoner rehabilitation programs but did not include changes to sentencing laws that critics say had led to overly harsh sentences for many nonviolent offenders, particularly African-Americans.

The bill looked to have stalled a couple weeks ago, but supporters led by President Donald Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner persuaded Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to allow for the Senate vote before Congress adjourns.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/criminal-justice-reform-bill-clears-first-test-vote-in-senate

Another of Trump's campaign promises kept? Does this mean Mexico is paying for the Wall?

 

[MARIS61]

Congress has passed the bill.

President Trump will sign it into law tomorrow.

 

[Lanny]

Congress has passed the bill.

President Trump will sign it into law tomorrow.

His only signature peace of legislation. Sure beats the Wall he's getting approved any day now.

 

[MARIS61]

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Makes sense that Trump suddenly cares about prison reform.

"Kids, for Christmas I got you better treatment in prison!"