As part of his 2016 presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump styled himself as a tough-on-crime candidate who, if elected, would launch a national anti-crime policy, crack down on immigration and commit to “very “We will implement strong and swift policies.” “Law and order.
His inflammatory rhetoric and messages about crime set off alarms among many Democrats and criminal justice advocates ahead of his inauguration in January 2017.
“I'm the law and order candidate,” he told voters, adding in the next breath, “I'm also the mercy candidate.”
But the second half of his remarks did little to allay concerns that the United States would crack down on crime indiscriminately under the Trump administration.
Jessica Jackson, a human rights lawyer and CEO of the REFORM Alliance, a criminal justice advocacy group, told Fox News Digital that she initially had some reservations.
“First and foremost, I'm a Democrat,” Jackson said in an interview. “So working with President Trump in 2018 was considered a little unusual.”
But Mr. Jackson did just that, aiming to reduce the federal prison population by curbing unfair sentencing, promoting rehabilitation, and allowing some inmates the possibility of early release. lobbied for the First Step Act, a bipartisan bill that
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Secret Service and corrections officers stand on the roof as then-President Barack Obama tours the cell block at the El Reno Federal Correctional Facility in El Reno, Oklahoma. (Saul Loeb/Getty) (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Jackson was part of a large group of police groups, religious leaders, prosecutors, and celebrities who lobbied on behalf of the First Step Act.
Their efforts were successful, and President Trump signed the First Step Act in December 2018.
The law is Both highly praised It will help reduce the federal prison population and, importantly, reduce recidivism rates, the rate at which previously incarcerated people re-offend.
Jackson noted that the law has reduced recidivism rates “from about 49% to 9.7%.” 2024 Report from the Brennan Center for Justice estimate With the help of the First Step Act, the recidivism rate among former prisoners decreased from 46.2% to 9.7%, a slightly lower but still significant reduction.
“I think the biggest lesson I learned in the first administration was that when you get involved in an administration, you have an opportunity to advance the issues you care about,” Jackson said of working with President Trump.
Now, she and other criminal justice advocates believe there will be more opportunities for cooperation in President Trump's second term.
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President Donald Trump hangs up after a phone call in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. ((AP Photo/Alex Brandon))
One of the big opportunities Jackson sees for Trump is passing the Safe Oversight Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at helping formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into the community. Supporters see the bill as a way to build on the success of the 2018 bill.
Ex-prisoners have an overwhelmingly difficult time readjusting to life after prison, and the Safeguarding Act is designed to support employment opportunities for ex-prisoners and reduce burdensome parole and probation requirements. I'm aiming for both.
The plan seeks to address significant obstacles faced by ex-convicts, including a lack of structure, difficulty finding work, and a federal parole and probation system that is largely understaffed and underfunded. .
These hurdles sometimes result in seemingly harmless ex-convicts failing to meet with parole officers, leaving the jurisdiction without permission, or associating with ex-convicts or ex-convicts for a variety of reasons. You may be sent to prison. criminal act. In some cases, ex-prisoners are not told exactly what the restrictions are.
Prison inmates wearing fire boots wait in line for breakfast in Yucaipa, California, on November 6, 2014. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)
Jackson said her team once worked with an ex-convict who took public transportation to work and eventually saved enough money for a down payment on a car.
Unfortunately, when he went to finance his car, she said, “Unbeknownst to him, he was buried in a list of difficult conditions, but if he didn't talk to the supervisor, the bank wouldn't let him.'' It turns out that I can't open an account.”. ”
“So here's a guy who thinks he's doing something great, like renting a car to get to and from work or taking his kids to school. The next thing you know, he's committed a supervision violation and is being deported,''' Jackson said.
Overall, ex-prisoners are significantly more likely to reoffend: 2023 Department of Justice Analysis of prisons in 24 states It was found that a whopping 82% of those released were rearrested at least once in the 10 years following their release. (A still significant 43% were rearrested within a year.)
Jackson said he hopes President Trump will succeed in his second term by expanding these criminal justice reform efforts by passing the Safer Oversight Act and introducing other measures such as second-chance hiring. I'm looking forward to it.
Jackson laughed when asked if he had discussed it with the transition team staff. “The funny thing is, people ask me, 'Have you ever talked to anyone over there?'”
“We were able to form a very unlikely coalition and make real progress. We never really stopped talking to them,” she said.
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“And I think we're excited about the opportunity to continue those conversations and move forward as much as possible.”
