Contact:
Rabiah Burks, 202-822-6700
rburks@famm.org

FAMM DISCOURAGES WHITE HOUSE FROM RE-NOMINATING
WILLIAM OTIS TO THE U.S. SENTENCING COMMISSION

WASHINGTON – FAMM sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump discouraging the re-nomination of William Otis to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the administrative body that writes and updates the federal sentencing guidelines used to sentence more than 70,000 people each year in federal court.

“We are concerned that President Trump is considering re-nominating Bill Otis to serve on the U.S. Sentencing Commission,” FAMM President Kevin Ring said. “We think that would be a serious mistake and we wanted the president to know why. Those who care about federal sentencing know that nominating Bill Otis to be on the Sentencing Commission would be like picking Jeff Sessions to be attorney general. It’s that bad.”

“President Trump deserves credit for pushing the First Step Act, but he should not keep filling important positions with people who do not support commonsense reform,” Ring said.

President Trump first nominated Mr. Otis for the position last March. At that time, FAMM broke its 26-year history of not taking positions on nominees to the commission and announced its strong opposition to Otis’ nomination. The Senate Judiciary Committee did not hold a hearing on Mr. Otis’ nomination and the 115th Congress ended without the U.S. Senate taking any action on it.

For nearly three decades, FAMM has united the voices of affected families, the formerly incarcerated, and a range of stakeholders and advocates to fight for a more fair and effective justice system. FAMM’s focus on ending a one-size-fits-all punishment structure has led to reforms to sentencing and prison policies in 6 states and is paving the way to programs that support rehabilitation for the 94% of all prisoners who will return to our neighborhoods one day.

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FAMM is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice policies that safeguard taxpayer dollars and keep our communities safe. Founded in 1991, FAMM is helping transform America’s criminal justice system by uniting the voices of impacted families and individuals and elevating the issues all across the country.

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