Lawmakers United in Changing Non-Violent Drug Sentencing
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iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Although Republicans and Democrats fight over most issues, a small group has reached a bipartisan agreement over sentencing Americans for non-violent drug offenses.
The lawmakers Thursday introduced the Smarter Sentencing Act, legislation designed to modernize federal drug sentencing policies by giving federal judges more discretion in sentencing those convicted of non-violent drug offenses.
The measure brought together such disparate political bedfellows as Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Texas Republican Ted Cruz, who’ve agreed on little before now.
Cruz acknowledged this fact, adding, “We are all unified in saying common sense reforms need to be enacted to our criminal justice system.”
Durbin concurred, telling reporters, “We’re talking about drug offenses that don’t involve guns, don’t involve gangs, don’t involve violence but offenses that are wrong and should be treated as wrong but should be squared away with mandatory minimum sentences which reflect the reality of the situation.”
The measure is expected to have White House support as well.
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