Project for Opportunity and Safety

Pigott: US needs criminal justice reform

Each year, our country spends $80 billion to incarcerate nearly one out of every 100 people. After a lengthy legal career, and as a concerned citizen, I’m here to say that things must change.

In Mississippi, we had similar incarceration patterns. Our state’s prison population grew by 300 percent between 1983 and 2013. In 2012, we had the second-highest incarceration rate in the country. Had these concerning trends continued, studies projected the prison population would have grown for the next 10 years — at a cost of $266 million to taxpayers.

Thankfully, in 2014, a bipartisan group of legislators took an innovative approach and formed the Corrections and Criminal Justice Task Force. After an extensive, evidence-based review, the task force recommended polices aimed at refocusing resources to only those who most threaten our safety.

The Mississippi Legislature enacted these recommendations, ensuring certainty and clarity in sentencing, and guaranteeing taxpayers the greatest public safety return on their corrections spending. And, it’s working. We’ve already seen our prison rates go down. We’re also on track to see massive taxpayer savings.

But Mississippi isn’t the only place in need of criminal justice reform. Across the country, mandatory minimum sentencing requirements are forcing many individuals charged with nonviolent offenses to serve unnecessarily lengthy sentences. These policies not only waste money but also contribute to the high rates of recidivism we see across the country by directing funds away from vital re-entry programs.

As a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, I’ve joined with 130 other current and former law enforcement officials from around the country to form Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration. We think it’s possible to reduce crime and incarceration at the same time. Through both experience and data, we know that reducing unnecessary arrests, prosecutions and incarceration can reduce recidivism and strengthen relationships with the communities we protect. Furthermore, we must use the limited resources available in the most efficient and effective way possible, proving to our communities we value the funding they provide to us.

Last year, members of Law Enforcement Leaders gathered in Washington to discuss the pressing need for federal criminal justice reform. Others in our nation’s capital are joining the movement, too. The U.S. Senate is discussing the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, a bill that would reform harsh mandatory minimum sentencing laws and create a safety valve that gives judges more discretion in sentencing. Additionally, this bill would expand rehabilitation programs for those serving sentences; research shows that providing re-entry programs is essential to reducing recidivism.

The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is a shining example of bipartisan cooperation in Congress. Current co-sponsors include Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. After negotiating changes to the bill, Republican Sen. Thad Cochran from Mississippi has lent his support as well. Sen. Cochran’s recognition of the need for reform is important, but we need Sen. Roger Wicker to join as well. Wicker’s support for criminal justice reform will not only help convince other GOP legislators but will show Mississippi voters that their senators are joining in the effort to spend our resources wisely in order to keep our communities safe.

In Mississippi, we will continue to implement policies that demonstrate an intelligent approach to crime. It’s time for the federal government to join us.