USA TODAY: Attorney General Eric Holder will call Monday for major changes in the federal criminal justice system, including doing away with some mandatory minimum sentencing policies that have condemned scores of non-violent offenders to long prison terms and driven up the costs of incarceration.
In a speech before the American Bar Association, Holder will also push for early release of seniors and ill inmates who no longer pose a danger to society, yet require expensive special care.
“The bottom line is that, while the aggressive enforcement of federal criminal statutes remains necessary, we cannot simply prosecute or incarcerate our way to becoming a safer nation,” Holder will say, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks. “We must never stop being tough on crime. But we must also be smarter on crime.” … (more)
EDITOR: At long last! A decade ago I visited with a family friend since childhood friend, Edward Becker, then the President Judge of the Second District Federal Appeals Court that includes much of Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico. The subject was “Mandatory Sentencing” and “Sentencing Guidelines.” Both have the effect of mandating sentencing for those convicted, largely without regard to circumstances.
He explained to me that the federal judges meet with the U. S. Attorney General annually to discuss matters of concern to them. They had previously expressed their desire for much greater judicial discretion in imposing sentencing.
Since he was the senior president of all of the federal districts, it was his responsibility to prepare an agenda for the forthcoming meeting. He explained it was too late to propose. Only a person in his position could do that. Apparently he was speaking his thoughts out loud. Moments later he placed a phone call to his Administrative Assistant and directed that the subject again be put on the agenda
Eddie died a few years later. I have known no finer person in my life. The last words he ever spoke to me is “You are doing God’s work” He would be very pleased to read the above report. ‘May his memory be for a blessing’.
