The partisan divide in Washington seems wider than it’s ever been. There is so much to fight about and so little to agree on. One area where there’s been at least some bipartisan success in the past is criminal justice reform. And a new approach to this complex issue could help bring momentum for lasting change.
In 2018, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the First Step Act, which lowered mandatory minimums for certain crimes, created incentives for inmates to participate in recidivism reduction programs, and made a variety of other reforms. To date, however, there has been no “second step.” To the contrary, with the recent collapse of police reform negotiations in Congress, the two parties seem further apart on criminal justice issues than they have ever been.
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