Sunday’s letters: Criminal Justice Reform
Originally appeared in: Go UpstateI would like to begin by thanking Congressman Trey Gowdy for his hard work and leadership while serving in Congress. In particular, I applaud his work to carefully examine the criminal justice reform legislation currently being considered in the House Judiciary Committee.
As a current Clemson University student studying economics, I have researched and studied the increased economic impacts. I have continually seen Congressman Gowdy’s efforts to better the future of our community, and his determination on criminal justice reform is another example of his outstanding leadership.
Recently there have been concerns that this comprehensive criminal justice reform would release violent criminals from prisons and present an imminent danger to our communities. The fact is that under the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015, any person who has been convicted of a violent felony is unable to qualify for an early release from prison.
A mere 7 percent of inmates are in federal prison due to violent offenses, and this reform would ensure that our society maintains its protection from these violent criminals. But we cannot overlook the fact that since 1980 our federal prison population has grown nearly 700 percent with nonviolent drug offenders.
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