Prison reform: Some thoughts to ponder
I really think the bipartisan bill that passed out of the Senate is a big step in the right direction. But before we give too much praise to the GOP and Trump understand that a lot of the decisions under the new law will rest with a far more conservative court all over the US. It was the GOP under the leadership of Mitch McConnell that kept such reforms from getting a vote through out the latter years of the Obama administration. And the bug that was put in Trump's ear early on about this was two things: Obama couldn't get it done the way he wanted to AND those being convicted under those draconian laws were becoming whiter and wealthier as rural America succumbed to out of control drug use.
While the potential for doing what will help thousands of unwarranted imprisonments, it should not be lost on anyone that Trump is going to use this woo a lot of blacks and Hispanics into voting for him in 2020. Trump received this whisper in his ears early on from his handlers...guess who?
When signed into law this will be a great thing for many poor fatherless and motherless families. How the law is implemented will be the crucial test but you have to remember that there is a huge prison-industrial-complex that needs to be supported by the GOP. By in large most of the money for rehab and retraining etc. will go to those private RW contractors that will be sprinting up. We must keep a close watch on what is happening with this law and make certain it is being enforced with justice and fairness for all.
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