CJ 210 2-2 Discussion: Make Your Case
The Judiciary Committee introduced the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (2015) to the
Senate (Govtrack, 2015). The primary purpose of the introduction of the bill is a reduction in the
number of incarceration cases.
Criminal sentencing laws have indeed led to decreased incarceration rates. H.R.3713, for
instance, would lessen federal sentencing procedures for crimes related to drug abuse (Congress,
2015). These laws would help create novel compulsory most minor sentences concerning further
crimes and intensify the duration of the longer sentences issued by courts (Congress, 2015, para
2). Therefore, the law would see to the reduction of penalties for cases related to drug abuse.
Sentencing reforms have both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that the
reforms will actively lessen sentences for convicts sentenced under the stringent procedures for
possession of cocaine that were passed in 2011 (Congress, 2015, para 7). However, the main
demerit of the sentencing reform is that it will only affect the federal prisons, which hold just a
tiny fraction of all incarcerated people (Congress, 2015, para 3). Therefore, the sentencing
reforms should be at national levels other than federal states for the more significant effect of
reducing incarceration cases.
Sentencing reforms should include judicial discretion because the judiciary interpreted the laws
passed by the Senate. Therefore, the more significant effect on sentencing reforms will
significantly impact the procedures of the judicial systems.
