With Filing of Democratic Report for Over-criminalization Task Force, Scott Calls on New Congress to Act on Criminal Justice Reform
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the conclusion of the 113th Congress, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) will end his service as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations on the House Judiciary Committee. From 2007 through 2010, he served as the subcommittee's Chairman.
Additionally, during the 113th Congress, Congressman Scott served as Ranking Member of the bipartisan Task Force on Over-criminalization, which was authorized by the House Judiciary Committee on May 7, 2013. The Task Force was charged with assessing our nation's current federal criminal justice system and to make recommendations for improvements. While the Task Force did not issue a final report, Congressman Scott recently filed the Democratic Views of the Task Force's work and findings, including recommended reforms.
Congressman Scott issued the following statement on the work of the Task Force over the last two years and urged Congress to act on reforming our nation's broken criminal justice system:
"As I end my tenure as Ranking Member of the Crime Subcommittee and as Ranking Member of the Over-criminalization Task Force, I wanted to examine the policies we have engaged in over the past several decades; the unintended consequences those policies have had on our fellow Americans, our criminal justice system, and our Constitutional scheme; the reforms states have successfully implemented to address issues similar to those faced by the federal government; and recommendations for the executive, judicial, and legislative branches, as well as for those to whom we are all accountable—the American people.
"When it comes to crime policy, we have a choice — we can reduce crime or we can play politics. For far too long, government officials have chosen to play politics by enacting so-called ‘tough on crime' slogans such as ‘three strikes and you're out,' ‘you do the adult crime, you do the adult time' or so-called mandatory minimum sentencing. As appealing as these policies may sound and as expensive as they are, their impacts range from a negligible reduction in crime to an actual increase in crime.
"I believe in the First Law of Holes: when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging. Clearly, our policies and laws have not—and are not—working.
"All that the slogans and soundbites enacted over the years have achieved is the highest incarceration rate in the world. With 5% of the world's population, the United States has 25% of the world's prisoners. Adding insult to injury, several recent studies have concluded that our incarceration rate is so high that it is counterproductive—the slogans and soundbites are adding to crime, not preventing it. The situation is so acute in the minority community that the Children's Defense Fund labels our present incarceration problem as the ‘Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline.'
"In contrast, states have reformed their criminal justice systems to address almost identical problems that we face at the federal level with innovative, common-sense, and evidence-based reforms that have improved public safety, decreased crime, invested in beneficial community programs, and, at the same time, saved more money in reduced prison costs than what was spent on the new program.
"It is time for all three branches of the federal government to learn from the state experience. More to the point, it is time for the federal government to lead the way in ensuring that the administration of justice at the federal level is the model for the states.
"The recommendations included in the Democratic Views I filed last month are drawn directly from: (1) prioritized and consensus solutions to the primary drivers in the federal system from the Department of Justice, Federal Public Defenders, the Judicial Conference, and the Sentencing Commission (i.e. the four major stakeholders in the federal criminal justice system); (2) reforms implemented by the states that have been effective in addressing similar problems; and (3) evidence-based analysis and recommendations from expert organizations.
"Although the full Task Force did not come to any final conclusions, I hope that the views and recommendations included in the Democratic report will be a starting point for the 114th Congress. It is my sincere hope that we can work together for a more fair, just, and effective federal criminal justice system."
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The full report of the Democratic Views on the Over-criminalization Task Force can be accessed here: /sites/evo-subsites/bobbyscott-evo.house.gov/files/OTF%20FULL%20REPORT%20FINAL.pdf. An executive summary can be accessed here: /sites/evo-subsites/bobbyscott-evo.house.gov/files/OTF%20FINAL%20EXECUTIVE%20SUMMARY.pdf. And a list of legislative recommendations can be accessed here: /sites/evo-subsites/bobbyscott-evo.house.gov/files/OTF%20FINAL%20LEGISLATIVE%20SOLUTIONS.pdf.