Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision To Maintain Strength Of Landmark Criminal Justice Reform Law

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after the Supreme Courtheeded his calland ruled 5-4 in favor of maintaining the strength of the bipartisanFirst Step ActinHewitt v. United States:
“This is a win for criminal justice reform at the Supreme Court.
“Our historic criminal justice reform law is a beacon for successful, smart-on-crime policies and continues to withstand the test of time. Congress wanted to make sure that sentencing reforms applied to all individuals subject to federal sentencing after the law’s enactment.”
“I’m pleased that the Supreme Court rejected the Fifth Circuit’s faulty interpretation that would’ve narrowed the scope of our law, so that theFirst Step Actcan continue making our justice system fairer and our communities safer.”
Championed by Senators Durbin, Grassley, Booker, and Lee, theFirst Step Actwas signed into law in 2018 andserves as a beacon for “smart on crime” policies. The law makes theFair Sentencing Act’s reforms retroactive, as well as:
These reforms have been tremendously successful. Asnotedin a January 2024 hearing, of the 44,671 incarcerated adults released underFirst Step Actreforms, only 9.7 percent have been arrested for new crimes. By comparison, the overall Bureau of Prisons recidivism rate currently stands at around 45 percent. To date, there have been 4,161 retroactive sentence reductions and 4,849 compassionate releasemotions granted.
-30-