A coalition of law enforcement officials and civil servants has voiced strong support for legislation that addresses sentencing guidelines at the federal level, says a report by A.J. Vicens of Mother Jones.
The coalition is known as Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration and consists of more than 160 police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys, federal prosecutors and attorneys generals, who have coalesced around criminal justice system reform, the report says.
“The Sentencing and Reform Act of 2015, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), would reduce federal mandatory minimum sentences for some gun and drug crimes and would make it possible for federal prisoners to earn credits for completing rehabilitative programs while incarcerated and reduce their time behind bars,” says Mother Jones.
“A similar measure sponsored in the House by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) also addresses some of these problems,” Vicens reports.
Specifically at issue are policies that would create “common-sense” limits on police use of force, Vicens says.
Following the 2014 killing of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Mo., the criminal justice system has been the subject of continuing conversation by the law enforcement community and social justice activists.
The prominent group of activists known as Police Use of Force Project, along with its affiliate group, Campaign Zero, is calling for a thorough reform of policing in America, Vicens reports.
“In many police departments life preservation is not the primary objective, and many do not require officers to de-escalate situations where possible,” Vicens says. Officers are often permitted to “choke or strangle” civilians, he adds.
According to the Use of Force Project, police policies often don’t match their publicly stated values.