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Senator Jim Webb takes his concerns about prison nation to the next level

By Douglas A. Berman

Senator Jim Webb, who long ago won my heart by showing a serious concern for the problems of crime and punishment in the United States, has now taken his work on these issues to the next level.  Specifically, as explained in this local article, Senator Webb "wants a 'top-to-bottom review' by Congress of the nation's criminal-justice system with an eye toward reducing the growing prison population."  Here is more from this press report: With the support of the White House and some Senate Republicans, Webb is proposing a blue-ribbon commission spend 1½ years looking at law-and-order issues. Webb's office says the panel should take a sweeping look at the way the nation controls crime, metes out punishment and returns felons to society. A background document says of the commission: "Its task will be to propose concrete, wide-ranging reforms to responsibly reduce the overall incarceration rate; improve federal and local responses to international and domestic gang violence; restructure our approach to drug policy; improve the treatment of mental illness; improve prison administration, and establish a system for reintegrating ex-offenders...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on March 26, 2009 (boomark / email).