WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Conservative and liberal members in the US Senate joined forces on Tuesday to introduce a sweeping criminal-justice reform bill that would reduce sentences for non-violent offenders and give judges greater flexibility in sentencing.
"This historic reform bill addresses legitimate over-incarceration concerns while targeting violent criminals and masterminds in the drug trade," Senators Charles Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.
An awkward situation confronts the justice system in the United States, with some prisoners serving long sentences for marijuana possession at a time when many US states have legalized the drug for medical and recreational use.
In July, President Barack Obama called for similar reforms, saying a distinction had to be made between young people making unwise mistakes and violent criminals.
