Following the recent announcement of reduced prison sentences for 214 convicted felons by President Barack Obama, junior Senator David Perdue issued a statement condemning the action. All of the inmates affected by the clemency are serving time in federal correctional facilities and a large majority of the inmates are incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses that
Governor Nathan Deal had the opportunity to showcase his efforts to reform the criminal justice system in Georgia at a Republican National Convention panel discussion between him and Republican Governors Mary Fallin of Oklahoma and Matt Bevin of Kentucky. After becoming governor in 2011, Governor Deal has pushed for reform during each legislative session, with
They say if you’re not a liberal at 25, you have no heart and if you’re not a conservative at 35, you have no brain. I think I’ve actually mixed those two up, judging by how ‘soft’ I’ve become with regard to the corrections system in America. When it comes to justice reform, I’m a
The following is a guest Op-Ed written by Steven H. Cook, President of the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, in response to Monday’s Op-Ed from Jason Pye: In Jason Pye’s post David Perdue Wrong on Justice Reform, he suggests proponents believe that Senator Perdue’s opposition to the current legislation, which is spearheaded by Families
This week’s Courier Herald column: Last week Governor Deal signed his fifth criminal justice bill into law. The effort continues Georgia’s effort to realign Georgia’s priorities to assign appropriate sentencing based on the severity of crimes that are committed, but to also ensure that once a debt to society is paid the offender is able
The following is a guest Op-Ed by our longtime friend and one of Georgia’s original political bloggers, Jason Pye: On Thursday, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), unveiled improvements to the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, S. 2123. The measure is designed to reform federal sentencing policies, bring
It’s Friday, and I’m over-caffeinated. That probably means spirited GeorgiaPol radio today at noon. Stefan Turkheimer and I will take over the Rhino Shield Studio from Sully (Rhino Shield, It’s better than paint) for our weekly attempt at talk radio. So what are we going to talk about? Apparently Jim Barksdale came out of hiding,
Governor Nathan Deal signed SB 367 into law yesterday during a signing ceremony at the Capitol. It is the fifth such law the Governor has championed, noting that the Criminal Justice Reform process isn’t a “one and done” law but an ongoing process. The Governor said he didn’t expect this to be his last one,
