Faith Wangermann - Shutdown May delay Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform

In an article published by the New York Times on Jan 16, 2019, Farah Stockman writes about another effect of the month-long government shut down. A criminal justice reform bill, signed into law just hours before the shutdown, may be enacted later than scheduled due to the shutdown. The bill outlines a plan to release more non-violent prisoners who if released would not endanger public safety. Thousands of inmates and their families have attempted to call into offices, closed from the shutdown, with questions about when or if they will be released early. The law is called the First Step Act, and it is a bipartisan victory, a law wanted by both parties. This manifestation of the criminal justice reform movement echoes the reform movements of the Gilded Age and the Antebellum Age. Many online movements to protect people imprisoned for a long time for non-violent acts are similar to the movements against the abuse in asylums.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/16/us/criminal-justice-bill-shutdown.html