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In an encouraging development, a lone bright spot in Trump's policy portfolio -- which has otherwise contained only shameless power/cash grabs by the Swamp and reckless gutting of all polices meant to serve the public interest, in favor of profits for the ultra-rich and for corporations -- may be forged by Trump's Christian supporters, even if in modest scale.
That idea – that redemption is possible, even in prison – is a central part of the Christian belief system, said Johnnie Moore, an evangelical leader and informal adviser to President Trump who attended the summit.
"I'm not sure that for a number of years it was sort of considered a political issue," he said in an interview with NPR. "It was more just an issue of justice."
Moore is among leading evangelicals who are supporting the FIRST STEP Act, which focuses on improving prison conditions for pregnant inmates, and offers a path to possible early release for prisoners who earn credits for good behavior. The plan does not tackle many of the larger goals of criminal justice reform advocates, such as reducing or eliminating mandatory minimums for non-violent drug crimes.
The bill recently cleared the House Judiciary Committee and is expected to receive a vote in the full House soon, but faces tough odds in the Senate. It's being promoted by Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has been instrumental in marshaling evangelical support for the plan.
Chuck Colson, a former Nixon administration official who served time after Watergate. DeRoche said the evangelical movement has evolved on the issue since Colson's time.
"A lot of people in the church didn't feel called as strongly to actually enter the debate over [criminal justice reform] like they did with as issues like abortion," he said.
Ralph Reed, a longtime leader of the Christian right, also supports the bill.
"This is really signaling something that's a fascinating and very little-noted phenomenon in American politics," Reed said, "...which is that the evangelical movement...sort of came into the process talking primarily about sexual morality, and now they're speaking to a much broader set of issues."
Some other religious groups and other prison reform advocates, including the National Council of Churches and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, are opposingthe measure, which they say doesn't go far enough.
Jesselyn McCurdy of the American Civil Liberties Union said she welcomes evangelical support for prison reform in principle, but worries the push for this legislation could squander an opportunity for more substantial reform. Among other concerns, she said the plan relies too heavily on releasing prisoners into halfway houses, which are underfunded.
Jesselyn McCurdy of the American Civil Liberties Union said she welcomes evangelical support for prison reform – but not for this bill. She worries about squandering what could be the only chance for awhile for significant change.
"Our concern is if we support this...we're leaving thousands of thousands of people behind in the name of a very quick, empty promise type of reform that won't result in many people actually coming home," McCurdy said.
Ken Blackwell, a longtime Republican activist who advised Trump's transition team and is among those advocating for prison reform, told NPR there are also disagreements within the conservative movement about how far to take criminal justice reform.
"It's the extent to which you look for a balance between the punishing dimension of a prison system for acts of wrongdoing, with the hope for rehabilitation and reform," he said.
Blackwell said he's optimistic that the President's involvement in the issue will help to overcome reticence from "law and order" conservatives about the prison reform proposal.
https://www.npr.org/2018/05/20/6127...ign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180520
That idea – that redemption is possible, even in prison – is a central part of the Christian belief system, said Johnnie Moore, an evangelical leader and informal adviser to President Trump who attended the summit.
"I'm not sure that for a number of years it was sort of considered a political issue," he said in an interview with NPR. "It was more just an issue of justice."
Moore is among leading evangelicals who are supporting the FIRST STEP Act, which focuses on improving prison conditions for pregnant inmates, and offers a path to possible early release for prisoners who earn credits for good behavior. The plan does not tackle many of the larger goals of criminal justice reform advocates, such as reducing or eliminating mandatory minimums for non-violent drug crimes.
The bill recently cleared the House Judiciary Committee and is expected to receive a vote in the full House soon, but faces tough odds in the Senate. It's being promoted by Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has been instrumental in marshaling evangelical support for the plan.
Chuck Colson, a former Nixon administration official who served time after Watergate. DeRoche said the evangelical movement has evolved on the issue since Colson's time.
"A lot of people in the church didn't feel called as strongly to actually enter the debate over [criminal justice reform] like they did with as issues like abortion," he said.
Ralph Reed, a longtime leader of the Christian right, also supports the bill.
"This is really signaling something that's a fascinating and very little-noted phenomenon in American politics," Reed said, "...which is that the evangelical movement...sort of came into the process talking primarily about sexual morality, and now they're speaking to a much broader set of issues."
Some other religious groups and other prison reform advocates, including the National Council of Churches and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, are opposingthe measure, which they say doesn't go far enough.
Jesselyn McCurdy of the American Civil Liberties Union said she welcomes evangelical support for prison reform in principle, but worries the push for this legislation could squander an opportunity for more substantial reform. Among other concerns, she said the plan relies too heavily on releasing prisoners into halfway houses, which are underfunded.
Jesselyn McCurdy of the American Civil Liberties Union said she welcomes evangelical support for prison reform – but not for this bill. She worries about squandering what could be the only chance for awhile for significant change.
"Our concern is if we support this...we're leaving thousands of thousands of people behind in the name of a very quick, empty promise type of reform that won't result in many people actually coming home," McCurdy said.
Ken Blackwell, a longtime Republican activist who advised Trump's transition team and is among those advocating for prison reform, told NPR there are also disagreements within the conservative movement about how far to take criminal justice reform.
"It's the extent to which you look for a balance between the punishing dimension of a prison system for acts of wrongdoing, with the hope for rehabilitation and reform," he said.
Blackwell said he's optimistic that the President's involvement in the issue will help to overcome reticence from "law and order" conservatives about the prison reform proposal.
https://www.npr.org/2018/05/20/6127...ign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180520
