Senator Jim Webb continues his important campaign for serious sentencing and prison reforms

December 29, 2008

Regular readers know from prior posts that I am a huge fan of Senator Jim Webb’s commitment to serious sentencing and prison reform. As revealed by new this exciting article from today’s Washington Post, headlined “Webb Sets His Sights On Prison Reform: Senator Proposes National Panel,” my affinity for the good Senator remains well-justified. Here are some details from the article:

This spring, Webb (D-Va.) plans to introduce legislation on a long-standing passion of his: reforming the U.S. prison system. Jails teem with young black men who later struggle to rejoin society, he says. Drug addicts and the mentally ill take up cells that would be better used for violent criminals. And politicians have failed to address this costly problem for fear of being labeled “soft on crime.”

It is a gamble for Webb, a fiery and cerebral Democrat from a staunchly law-and-order state. Virginia abolished parole in 1995, and it trails only Texas in the number of people it has executed. Moreover, as the country struggles with two wars overseas and an ailing economy, overflowing prisons are the last thing on many lawmakers’ minds.

But Webb has never been one to rely on polls or political indicators to guide his way. He seems instead to charge ahead on projects that he has decided are worthy of his time, regardless of how they play — or even whether they represent the priorities of the state he represents.

State Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II (R-Fairfax), who is running for attorney general, said the initiative sounds “out of line” with the desires of people in Virginia but not necessarily surprising for Webb. The senator, he said, “is more emotion than brain in terms of what leads his agenda.”…

In speeches and in a book that devotes a chapter to prison issues, Webb describes a U.S. prison system that is deeply flawed in how it targets, punishes and releases those identified as criminals. With 2.3 million people behind bars, the United States has imprisoned a higher percentage of its population than any other nation, according to the Pew Center on the States and other groups. Although the United States has only 5 percent of the world’s population, it has 25 percent of its prison population, Webb says.

A disproportionate number of those who are incarcerated are black, Webb notes. African Americans make up 13 percent of the population, but they comprise more than half of all prison inmates, compared with one-third two decades ago. Today, Webb says, a black man without a high school diploma has a 60 percent chance of going to prison.

Webb aims much of his criticism at enforcement efforts that he says too often target low-level drug offenders and parole violators, rather than those who perpetrate violence, such as gang members. He also blames policies that strip felons of citizenship rights and can hinder their chances of finding a job after release. He says he believes society can be made safer while making the system more humane and cost-effective.

That point of view has gained steam with members of both parties. Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) recently proposed earlier release for some prisoners convicted of nonviolent crimes as a cost-cutting measure. But the movement is alarming to drug enforcement advocates. Tom Riley, spokesman for the Office of National Drug Policy Initiatives, said it has become an “urban myth” that the nation imprisons vast numbers of low-level drug offenders.

I have so many positive reactions to the news that Senator Webb remains eager to make a priority of sentencing and prison reform. But I have so many negative reactions to how this Post article makes Senator Webb seem like an odd duck for having this priority. For a nation supposedly committed to freedom and liberty, I think the odd ducks are those Americans not seriously concerned about the status of the US as the world’s leader in incarceration.

Moreover, as regular readers of this blog know well, though too few federal lawmakers are concerned with overflowing prisons, due to an ailing economy and tight budgets nearly every state lawmaker is deeply concerned about how best to cut prison populations without hurting public safety. I hope that Senator Webb’s panel would start with a set of immediate action initiative to identify groups of prisoners who might be effectively released without a serious risk to public safety.

Some related posts about prison nation as a pressing problem:

Some related posts Senator Webb’s great work and the failings of other national politicians: