User talk:Philipbenninghoff

Re: I support S. 714, the National Criminal Justice Act of 2009

I am writing to thank you for cosponsoring S. 714, and to express my support of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009. The Act reflects an admirable commitment to fundamental reform of the decades-old policies that have led America to incarcerate more people for longer periods of time than any other nation. There are currently more than 2.3 million people behind bars - many whose behavior could be changed by approaches that are much more effective than long sentences. Compounding the problem is the fact that thousands of these nonviolent offenders receive lengthy mandatory minimum terms in state and federal prisons. I hope that the commission will find that any comprehensive reform of our criminal justice system must include eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing laws. These laws take authority away from courts, which the American people believe are better suited to make individualized sentencing decisions. Thank you again for supporting S. 714.