Nation's Mayors Urge Passage of Webb's Landmark Criminal Justice Bill

Press Release

National Criminal Justice Commission Act receives unanimous support of bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors

Senator Jim Webb's campaign to secure passage of his National Criminal Justice Commission Act received a major boost this week with unanimous backing of the United States Conference of Mayors. In their resolution, the organization "affirms its support for the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2011" and "calls upon the United States Congress" to enact the bill before the conclusion of the 112th Congress.

"Such overwhelming support from our nation's mayors is a major step forward in securing passage of this vital legislation," said Senator Webb. "Since first introducing this bill in 2009, my office has worked tirelessly to build the case for reform with state and local leaders from across the political spectrum."

"This endorsement from the bipartisan United States Conference of Mayors should be clear evidence of the crucial need for swift reform of America's criminal justice system."

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act is also supported by more than 100 organizations from across the philosophical spectrum, including the National Sheriff's Association, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Sentencing Project, the NAACP, the ACLU and Prison Fellowship.

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act would create a blue-ribbon, bipartisan commission of experts charged with undertaking an 18-month top-to-bottom review of the nation's criminal justice system and offering concrete recommendations for reform. It was first introduced March 26, 2009, and was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 21, 2010, with 39 bipartisan cosponsors. On July 28, 2010, it passed the U.S. House of Representatives, with the support of Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), now Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Despite strong bipartisan support, the bill was blocked in the Senate last year. Senator Webb reintroduced the legislation on February 8, 2011.

More information about the bill is available here: http://www.webb.senate.gov/issuesandlegislation/criminaljusticeandlawenforcement/Criminal_Justice_Banner.cfm

Full text of the resolution passed by the United States Conference of Mayors:

IN SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION ACT OF 2011

WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors has long advocated for reforms to
achieve fairness and effectiveness in the criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS, the United States has by far the world's highest incarceration rate, with just five
percent of the world's population but 25 percent of the world's prisoners; and

WHEREAS, the United States currently incarcerates nearly 2.4 million people in its prisons and
jails -- or one in every 100 U.S. residents; and

WHEREAS, the war on drugs -- declared 40 years ago this weekend -- has been the principal
driver of mass incarceration in America; and

WHEREAS, roughly 500,000 Americans are behind bars for a drug law violation -- an increase
of 1200 percent since 1980; and

WHEREAS, although drug use is similar across racial and ethnic groups, minorities are
incarcerated at higher rates and for longer periods of time; African Americans, for example, are
3.4 times more likely than Whites to be arrested for a drug crime; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution at its 75th Annual Meeting
declaring the war on drugs a failure and calling for fundamental changes to the U.S. criminal
justice system, including a dramatic reduction in the number of nonviolent people behind bars
and in the racial disparities created or exacerbated by the criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted a resolution at its 74th Annual Meeting
opposing mandatory minimum sentencing on both the state and federal levels and urging the
creation of fair and effective sentencing policies; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has a long established policy of promoting the
successful re-entry of people leaving prison or jail; and

WHEREAS, post-incarceration re-entry programs are haphazard and often nonexistent,
undermining public safety and making it extremely difficult for formerly incarcerated people to
become full, contributing members of society; and

WHEREAS, the costs to our federal, state, and local governments of unjust and ineffective
criminal justice policies continue to grow, yet a comprehensive evaluation of the U.S. criminal
justice system has not been undertaken since 1967; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Senator Jim Webb and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham have
introduced federal legislation--the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2011 -- that
would take the long-overdue step of creating a national, bi-partisan, blue-ribbon commission
charged with undertaking a comprehensive, 18-month, top-to-bottom review of the criminal
justice system and proposing concrete, wide-ranging reforms; and 55

WHEREAS, the commission will produce recommendations for changes in oversight, policies,
practices, and laws designed to prevent, deter, and reduce crime and violence, improve cost effectiveness, and ensure the interests of justice at every step of the criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS, the commission's purview would include making recommendations to reduce
incarceration, reform U.S. drug policy, eliminate racial and gender disparities, improve re-entry
efforts, and expand access to substance abuse treatment, mental health services and healthcare--
goals that this Conference strongly supports;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors
affirms its support for the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2011 and calls upon the
United States Congress to enact the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2011 in the
112th Congress.

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