ACLU Statement on Reports of FIRST STEP Act Moving Forward in Senate

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced today that he will bring a bipartisan criminal justice reform package, the FIRST STEP Act, to the floor for a Senate vote before the end of session.

Jesselyn McCurdy, deputy director of the Washington Legislative Office at the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction:

“We’re encouraged by Senator McConnell’s commitment today to bringing the FIRST STEP Act to the floor. This bill makes modest but important improvements to our criminal justice system. It has the votes to pass, and we urge senators to move it forward now without negotiations that would water the bill down further.

“America is in the midst of a mass incarceration crisis, and the passage of this bill will help send an important message to the rest of the country about the urgency of addressing that crisis. We applaud the bipartisan group of senators who have listened to advocates by strengthening the FIRST STEP Act with important sentencing reforms. When this bill comes to the floor, we urge Senators to vote yes so that we can deliver some measure of justice to those harmed by our criminal justice system and move us closer to building a system that truly works for the people.”

More information about the ACLU’s position on the FIRST STEP Act can be found here:
https://www.aclu.org/blog/smart-justice/mass-incarceration/how-first-step-act-moves-criminal-justice-reform-forward