Can Trump get criminal justice reform across finish line?

The bipartisan push for criminal justice reform received a strong push this week when President Donald Trump announced he would support legislation intended to reduce the nation’s prison population through sentencing fixes and programs to reduce recidivism.

This is long overdue — and good news for a nation seemingly torn along political lines. The measure highlights that there is indeed some common ground between the two major parties — and such common ground can drive progress despite the rancor and bickering.

“Give the man his due,” progressive political commentator Van Jones tweeted about the president. “Donald Trump is on his way to becoming the uniter-in-chief on an issue that has divided America for generations. Congrats to everyone on both sides who fought for this.”

The details of the First Step Act remain to be seen, but the concept is sound: Keeping violent and dangerous criminals behind bars, while acknowledging that too many Americans, particularly in minority communities, face a lifetime of harsh consequences for stupid and often nonviolent mistakes.

The nation’s prison population has increased by 500 percent over the past 40 years even as violent crime has fallen to levels not seen in decades. Yes, the goal of the criminal justice system should be to protect innocent citizens from threatening predators. But it should also be to ensure sentencing is proportionate to the offense and to expand opportunities for those who have paid their debt to become productive members of society.

A criminal justice measure easily passed the House in May but was stymied in the Senate. But over the summer, The Washington Post reports, The nation’s prison population has increased by 500 percent over the past 40 years even as violent crime has fallen to levels not seen in decades.

a bipartisan group of senators reached a deal on compromises that could move the bill forward. They include reducing mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses and giving judges more discretion in a variety of cases. The Senate proposal also includes “four provisions to (the) House-passed bill that focused on reducing prisoner recidivism,” The Post notes.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell signaled he would be willing to bring the proposal up for a vote this year. Support from the Fraternal Order of Police also bodes well for the measure, as the group’s president said he was satisfied it would not reduce the sentences of violent felons.

“I’ll be waiting with a pen,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday. There’s now no excuse for the House and Senate to move forward and do what’s right.