NBC Nightly News: Kim Kardashian visits White House to talk prison and sentencing reform
June 04, 2018
Marc Mauer explains why sentencing reform is necessary to provide relief to the thousands of people in federal prison serving life without parole for non-violent drug offenses.
Marc Mauer was featured on NBC Nightly News to discuss Kim Kardashian West’s meeting with President Trump to advocate for relief on behalf of Alice Marie Johnson, a great-grandmother serving a life without parole sentence for a non-violent drug offense.
Because of our overly punitive federal drug laws, there are thousands of people like Alice Marie Johnson that need sentencing reform now. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is necessary legislation that, if passed, would provide relief to those who would otherwise die in prison for non-violent drug offenses.
“The underlying problem is the mandatory minimum sentences applied in the War on Drugs. These have been a failure for 30 years. It’s time to turn that around,” says The Sentencing Project’s Marc Mauer.
The Sentencing Project wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine the impact of COVID-19 on incarcerated populations and how best to prevent the spread of infection and save lives.
A federal judge in Florida declared that it is unconstitutional for the state of Florida to prevent people with felony convictions from voting because they cannot afford to pay back court fees, fines and restitution.
