Deadline Nears for a National Commission

As Congress went into recess this week until the November 2 elections, a bill that would create a national criminal justice system was left pending before the U.S. Senate.

Advocates for the bill are now calling for the Senate to act during the “lame duck” session that should begin when senators return to Washington after the elections. The proposed commission would review all aspects of the criminal justice system and recommend bi-partisan, consensus-based reform. Such a panel could play a critical role in addressing and preventing wrongful convictions by examining the root causes of these injustices.

Thousands of Innocence Project supporters have urged the Senate to take action on this bill, and it’s important that we keep the pressure on our senators to pass this legislation.

Join them here by writing to your senators

. Sen. Jim Webb (who first introduced the bill) spoke on the Senate floor this week, calling on his fellow senators to prioritize its passage.

He said: I certainly hope that before the end of this year, we will see this national commission come into place. It is 18 months of getting the finest minds in America to come together and examine all aspects of our criminal justice system so we can do two things: one, reduce mass incarceration in this country but also reduce the fear in our communities with the present rate of crime.

Read Webb’s full comments here

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Take action today. Urge your senators to form a national criminal justice commission

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