NCLR Backs Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Yesterday, Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R–Wis.) and Bobby Scott (D–Va.) introduced the “Safe, Accountable, Fair and Effective (SAFE) Justice Act of 2015,” bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming the federal criminal justice system. NCLR (National Council of La Raza) applauds the congressmen, as well as the bill’s Republican and Democrat co-sponsors, including Reps. Luis Gutiérrez (D–Ill.) and Tony Cárdenas (D–Calif.), for putting forward a comprehensive solution that will ensure greater fairness in policing and sentencing and reduce recidivism by focusing on strategies to rehabilitate criminals.

“Today we have more people incarcerated than any other country in the world. Far too many young Latinos are in prison for minor offenses when they could be in programs that help them turn their lives around,” said Eric Rodriguez, Vice President of the Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation, NCLR. “We need a better criminal justice system, one that protects the public from threats, offers judges an opportunity to direct nonviolent offenders to community-based treatment and intervention programs and gives those who deserve a second chance an opportunity to turn their lives around and become contributing members of society.

“It’s encouraging to see Republicans and Democrats coming together to address reforms in the criminal justice system. This bill builds on important sentencing reforms we’ve advanced in California. We applaud the sponsors of this legislation for their efforts and encourage Congress to pass this much-needed reform.”

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

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