New DOJ views on private prisons, bail show reform trend
“We’re going to see a trend because there isn’t a lot happening in Congress,” said Arthur Rizer, director of criminal justice policy at R Street Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington. “Because nothing is happening, you’ll see more happening in agencies.”
If Congress doesn’t pass its planned reform bills in September, agencies will continue acting, Rizer said. That’s because criminal justice reform is a mostly bipartisan issue, Rizer said.
However, it’s possible that the announcements move some lawmakers who have been on the fence about federal criminal justice reform, Rizer added.
“It tells them, ‘If we don’t do something, the administration is going to do something,’” he said.
