Thank Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) for Leadership on Criminal Justice Reform

I've shared with you the plans Senator James Webb (D-VA) has for prison reform in an earlier blog post. I'm pleased to tell you that Sen. Webb is a man of his word. He introduced a bill, National Criminal Justice Commission Act that could lead to badly needed prison reform.

I encourage all like-minded villagers to send the Senator a thank you note! I joined with ColorOfChange.org folks to send him the following thank you note:

Dear Senator Webb,

Thank you for your devotion to reforming America's broken criminal justice system and addressing the deep inequities that have come to define it. By introducing the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, you've helped spark an honest conversation about the serious problems plaguing the system, and created an opening for the kind of broad, sweeping reform that is so badly needed. I want to thank you for your courageous leadership on this issue. I pledge to stand with you in your continued work for a more just and effective approach towards stopping crime and keeping our communities safe.

Sincerely,
Villager :)

We stood up last November and voted for change. Now it is time to be the change. What say u?

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) Wants Prison Reform

There are a number of domestic issues that need to be dealt with in the coming years. A few weeks ago I suggested that America's prison system needed to be overhauled. Today's (December 29) Washington Post has an article that Senator James Webb is going to take on prison reform.

My understanding is that Webb (D-Va.) plans to introduce legislation on reforming the U.S. prison system. Jails teem with young Black men who later struggle to rejoin society, he says. Drug addicts and the mentally ill take up cells that would be better used for violent criminals. And politicians have failed to address this costly problem for fear of being labeled 'soft on crime.'

You can find a great blog article on this matter here on Firedoglake.

Would you support efforts to reform our nation's prison system?