Senator Jim Webb takes his concerns about prison nation to the next level

Senator Jim Webb, who long ago won my heart by showing a serious concern for the problems of crime and punishment in the United States, has now taken his work on these issues to the next level.  Specifically, as explained in this local article, Senator Webb “wants a ‘top-to-bottom review’ by Congress of the nation’s criminal-justice system with an eye toward reducing the growing prison population.”  Here is more from this press report:

With the support of the White House and some Senate Republicans, Webb is proposing a blue-ribbon commission spend 1½ years looking at law-and-order issues. Webb’s office says the panel should take a sweeping look at the way the nation controls crime, metes out punishment and returns felons to society.

A background document says of the commission: “Its task will be to propose concrete, wide-ranging reforms to responsibly reduce the overall incarceration rate; improve federal and local responses to international and domestic gang violence; restructure our approach to drug policy; improve the treatment of mental illness; improve prison administration, and establish a system for reintegrating ex-offenders.”

Webb has been speaking out on the prison issue for over a year, warning of the economic and social consequences of housing a growing population of criminals….  According to Webb’s office, President Barack Obama supports the investigation; so, too, does Sen. Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican, former Judiciary Committee chairman and ex-federal prosecutor, who is facing a tough re-election campaign. Other supporters include the current Judiciary panel head, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., and the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois.

Senator Webb’s website provides lots more details here on the Senator’s introduction today of “The National Criminal Justice Act of 2009,” such as this intro:

The National Criminal Justice Act of 2009 that I introduced in the Senate on March 26, 2009 will create a blue-ribbon commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice system with an eye toward reshaping the process from top to bottom. I believe that it is time to bring together the best minds in America to confer, report, and make concrete recommendations about how we can reform the process. 

And, along with lots of links and other materials, Senator Webb’s website has  a link to this forthcoming article in this week’s Parade magazine, titled “Why We Must Fix Our Prisons.”