To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Congress: Stop Dismantling the Criminal Justice System
As leaders in the law enforcement community, we are concerned that the federal criminal justice system is slowly being dismantled and that some legislative proposals would recklessly dismantle it further. We want to make clear that we OPPOSE any legislation that will:
(1) Reduce penalties for violent offenders or drug traffickers or make those already convicted eligible for early release;
(2) Change federal forfeiture law to make it harder to strip drug dealers and other criminals of their ill-gotten gains; or
(3) Undermine the very successful asset sharing program, which currently sends money to state and local law enforcement for use in fighting crime.
(1) Reduce penalties for violent offenders or drug traffickers or make those already convicted eligible for early release;
(2) Change federal forfeiture law to make it harder to strip drug dealers and other criminals of their ill-gotten gains; or
(3) Undermine the very successful asset sharing program, which currently sends money to state and local law enforcement for use in fighting crime.
Why is this important?
Over the last several years, Congress and the U.S. Sentencing Commission have reduced the penalties for drug trafficking and have released tens of thousands of convicted drug traffickers from prison early. Congress has also stopped the distribution of money to state and local law enforcement agencies through the asset forfeiture sharing program—money that is vital to the ability to fight drug cartels, gangs, and other serious criminals. Over the past five years, the Department of Justice has reduced federal prosecutions of violent offenders, drug traffickers, and those committing firearm and other serious federal felonies by 25%. Meanwhile, murders, rapes, and other violent crimes are spiraling upward at rates unprecedented in recent times, and our Nation faces the worst opioid epidemic in our history. State and federal law enforcement officials are under attack by media outlets and organizations with anti-law enforcement agendas.
Shockingly, Congress is considering legislation that will further seriously weaken the federal criminal justice system. If passed, this legislation will reduce the penalties for armed career criminals, serial violent offenders, armed drug traffickers and repeat drug traffickers, and it will make thousands of these previously convicted offenders eligible for early release from federal prison. The legislation will substantially undermine truth-in-sentencing (currently one of the strengths of the federal system) by giving some federal offenders as much as one-third off their sentence for receiving prison-provided training. Other legislative proposals will make more difficult law enforcement efforts to forfeit the ill-gotten proceeds of criminal activity and limit or eliminate the sharing of forfeiture proceeds with state and local law enforcement agencies.
It is time for Congress to support law enforcement efforts that preserve public safety and reject so-called reforms that undermine our federal criminal justice system.
If you are a leader in law enforcement (or a retired leader), please sign our petition and provide your title and law enforcement agency in the comments section along with any comments you think appropriate.
More information on the myths of sentencing reform can be found on the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys’ webpage: http://www.naausa.org/site/index.php/sentencing-reform
Shockingly, Congress is considering legislation that will further seriously weaken the federal criminal justice system. If passed, this legislation will reduce the penalties for armed career criminals, serial violent offenders, armed drug traffickers and repeat drug traffickers, and it will make thousands of these previously convicted offenders eligible for early release from federal prison. The legislation will substantially undermine truth-in-sentencing (currently one of the strengths of the federal system) by giving some federal offenders as much as one-third off their sentence for receiving prison-provided training. Other legislative proposals will make more difficult law enforcement efforts to forfeit the ill-gotten proceeds of criminal activity and limit or eliminate the sharing of forfeiture proceeds with state and local law enforcement agencies.
It is time for Congress to support law enforcement efforts that preserve public safety and reject so-called reforms that undermine our federal criminal justice system.
If you are a leader in law enforcement (or a retired leader), please sign our petition and provide your title and law enforcement agency in the comments section along with any comments you think appropriate.
More information on the myths of sentencing reform can be found on the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys’ webpage: http://www.naausa.org/site/index.php/sentencing-reform