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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Testifying this morning before the U.S. House subcommittee that funds the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Prisons (BOP), FAMM President Julie Stewart urged Congress to enact a broad sentencing “safety valve” in order to cut wasteful spending and reduce prison overcrowding. Yesterday, Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) … Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – FAMM President Julie Stewart today hailed the introduction of The Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013 (S. 619), a bipartisan federal bill that would save taxpayer dollars by reserving scarce federal prison beds for the most dangerous offenders. The bill creates a “safety valve” that allows federal courts to impose sentences below … Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — FAMM President Julie Stewart today marked the 10th anniversary of Michigan’s decision to throw out the state’s drug mandatory minimum sentencing laws by noting that Michigan residents are safer now and are spending less to incarcerate nonviolent drug offenders. “Michigan’s experience is a powerful lesson for other states considering sentencing reform. Twenty years … Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — FAMM Vice President and General Counsel Mary Price today welcomed the announcement by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that it would modify its process for reviewing applications from prisoners for compassionate release. Ms. Price is the co-author of “The Answer is No: Too Little Compassionate Release in US Federal Prisons,” a report published last November … Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – FAMM President Julie Stewart today hailed the introduction of new bipartisan legislation in Georgia to reform the state’s drug mandatory minimum sentencing laws. The bill, HB 349, would add a “safety valve” so that judges could impose a shorter sentence in cases involving low-level, nonviolent offenders. “More and more states recognize that … Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) says that the increasing use of mandatory minimum sentences and other policy changes adopted over the past 30 years have contributed to an unprecedented and unsustainable growth in the federal prison population. The report, titled, “The Federal Prison Population Buildup: Overview, Policy Changes, … Read More

Washington, D.C. — FAMM applauds the comments of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) at the Georgetown University Law Center this morning in Washington, DC.  Sen. Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, strongly opposes mandatory minimum sentences and called today for their repeal and reform at the state and federal level. Chairman Leahy included … Read More