Did Ted Cruz Come Up With A Fix For The First Step Act?

File photo: Robert Galbraith/Reuters

We have watched with interest the intense debate within the Right — much of it on these very pages — over the FIRST STEP Act. We strongly believe that the federal criminal-justice system is dysfunctional and needs reform. We are also highly aware of the threat to public safety it poses to release violent individuals back onto the streets.

In a recent issue of the magazine, we urged Congress to address the serious concerns that critics such as Senator Tom Cotton had raised with the bill — and to do so with a sense of urgency, because the bill contains much that is crucial. Now, the sponsors have agreed to an amendment from Senator Ted Cruz that would, in Cruz’s words, “exclude violent offenders from being released early.” Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell plans to hold a vote this month.

It is worth continuing to hear out the bill’s critics when the final text is released, as is always the case with complicated legislation. Indeed, Senator Cotton has already vowed to introduce his own amendments to supplement Cruz’s. But so long as the changes achieve what Cruz has promised, FIRST STEP deserves to become law. As we detailed previously, it addresses a number of serious problems in the current system.

Read the rest from the National Review Editors HERE and follow link below to a related story:

Congress suddenly set to pass criminal justice reform bill as soon as next week

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