We post news and comment on federal criminal justice issues, focused primarily on trial and post-conviction matters, legislative initiatives, and sentencing issues.
MONEY, THAT’S WHAT I WANT…
One of the big questions left unanswered when the First Step Act passed was where the money would come from to pay for all of the ambitious programs to reduce recidivism..
Last week, the Trump administration addressed the question, proposing big budget increases for First Step implementation in 2021. A budget summary sent to Congress last week reports the administration will seek $409 million for First Step, a large increase over the $319 million provided this year.
Included are what the White House called “major new investments” in programming, halfway houses and additional Bureau of Prisons First Step staff.
Line items include an extra $244 million for halfway houses, supporting an increase in the total available beds – to meet First Step’s promise of extra halfway house time for earned-time credits – from 14,000 to about 23,000; $37 million for expansion of the Medication-Assisted Treatment pilot program, which combines behavioral therapy and medication to treat inmates with opioid use disorder, to all BOP facilities; $23 million for increased inmate access to evidence-based, recidivism-reduction programs and to and add new programs as they are identified and evaluated; and $15 million for extra First Step implementation staff.
The budget builds on the $90 million provided in 2020 to support First Step implementation.
Ohio State University law professor Doug Berman said in his Sentencing Law and Policy blog last week that “though these budget proposals still might fall short of what is needed for full, effective implementation of the First Step Act (e.g., I think Recidivism-Reduction Programs needs a lot more money), this strikes me as a serious effort to put serious money behind the Act (especially with the RRC expansion).”
Unfortunately, a White House proposed budget never survives Congress in anything approaching its initial form, and often never passes at all. As for the FY2021 budget, Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, snorted, “You might call a president’s budget aspirational. In a less charitable way, it’s really delusional.”
The Crime Report, First Step Act Funding Hiked to $409M in Trump Budget Plan (Feb 11)
Sentencing Law and Policy, Notable numbers in “Criminal Justice Reform” fact sheet highlighting part of Prez Trump’s proposed budget (Feb 10)
The White House, Criminal Justice Reform fact sheet (Feb 9)
– Thomas L. Root