{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-grassley-introduce-criminal-justice-reform-bills", "Durbin, Grassley Introduce Criminal Justice Reform Bills", "2025-12-16", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "As lead sponsors of the landmark First Step Act, Durbin and Grassley are working to continue to make our justice system fairer and our communities safer, including introducing new legislation to extend the First Step Act\u2019s annual reporting requirement by five years\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Around the seventh anniversary of the First Step Act (FSA), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced four pieces of criminal justice reform legislation to further implement the FSA and advance its goals. Durbin and Grassley were the lead sponsors of the landmark First Step Act, which is bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation designed to make our justice system fairer and our communities safer by reforming sentencing laws and providing opportunities for those who are incarcerated to prepare to reenter society successfully. It was signed into law in December 2018. Durbin and Grassley reintroduced the First Step Implementation Act, the Safer Detention Act, and the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act. They also introduced new legislation to extend the FSA\u2019s annual reporting requirement by five years.\n\n\u201cSeven years ago, Congress came together to pass the most important criminal justice reform law in a generation. But as its name suggests, it was just the first step,\u201d Durbin said. \u201cIn order to keep making our justice system fairer and our communities safer, we must continue reforming our antiquated and outdated sentencing laws and providing opportunities for those who are incarcerated to prepare to reenter society successfully. I appreciate Senator Grassley\u2019s partnership in this important endeavor.\u201d\n\n\u201cCriminals must face just penalties, and our nation\u2019s criminal justice system should seek to prevent recidivism,\u201d Grassley said. \u201cI\u2019m committed to advancing efforts that will help reduce crime, improve our nation\u2019s justice system and safeguard American communities.\u201d\n\nFirst Step Implementation Act\n\nThe bipartisan First Step Implementation Act of 2025 aims to further implement the FSA and advance its goals. The First Step Implementation Act would further the goals of the FSA by:\n\nAllowing courts to apply the FSA sentencing reform provisions to reduce sentences imposed prior to the enactment of the FSA;\n\nBroadening the safety valve provision to allow courts to sentence below a mandatory minimum for nonviolent controlled substance offenses, if the court finds the defendant\u2019s criminal history over-represents the seriousness of the defendant\u2019s criminal record and the likelihood of recidivism;\n\nAllowing courts to reduce sentences imposed on juvenile offenders who have served more than 20 years;\n\nProviding for the sealing or expungement of records of nonviolent juvenile offenses; and,\n\nRequiring the Attorney General to establish procedures ensuring that only accurate criminal records are shared for employment-related purposes.\n\nThe legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, Brennan Center, CPAC, Dream.org, Drug Policy Alliance, Due Process Institute, FAMM, Human Rights for Kids, Law Enforcement Leaders, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Tzedek Association, Prison Fellowship, Prison Fellowship Ministries, R Street Institute, and Right On Crime.\n\nBill text is available here.\n\nSafer Detention Act\n\nThe bipartisan Safer Detention Act of 2025 would reauthorize and reform the now-expired Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program, clarify applicability of compassionate release from federal prisons, and implement other reforms, including:\n\nClarifying that the percentage of time served required for the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program should be calculated based on an inmate\u2019s sentence, including reductions for good conduct time credits;\n\nExpanding the eligibility criteria for the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program to include nonviolent offenders who have served at least 50 percent of their terms of imprisonment;\n\nClarifying that elderly nonviolent D.C. Code offenders in BOP custody are eligible for the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program and that federal prisoners sentenced before November 1, 1987 are eligible for compassionate release; and,\n\nSubjecting elderly home detention eligibility decisions to judicial review (based on the First Step Act\u2019s compassionate release provision).\n\nThe legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, Brennan Center, CPAC, Dream.org, Drug Policy Alliance, Due Process Institute, FAMM, Law Enforcement Leaders, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Prison Fellowship, Prison Fellowship Ministries, Right on Crime, Sentencing Project, and Tzedek Association.\n\nBill text is available here.\n\nProhibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act\n\nThe bipartisan Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act of 2025 would end the unjust practice of judges increasing sentences based on conduct for which a defendant has been acquitted by a jury. Our criminal justice system rests on the Fifth and Sixth Amendment guarantees of due process and the right to a jury trial for the criminally accused. These principles require the government to prove a defendant\u2019s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury. Under the Constitution, defendants may be convicted only for conduct proven beyond a reasonable doubt. However, at sentencing, courts may enhance sentences if they find, by the lower preponderance of the evidence standard, that a defendant committed other crimes. The difference in those standards of proof means that a sentencing court can effectively nullify a jury\u2019s verdict by considering acquitted conduct.\n\nThe Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act would end this practice by:\n\nAmending 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 3661 to preclude a court of the United States from considering, except for purposes of mitigating a sentence, acquitted conduct at sentencing, and\n\nDefining \u201cacquitted conduct\u201d to include acts for which a person was criminally charged and adjudicated not guilty after trial in a Federal, State, Tribal, or Juvenile court, or acts underlying a criminal charge or juvenile information dismissed upon a motion for acquittal.\n\nThe legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: American Civil Liberties Union, Brennan Center, CPAC, Dream.org, Drug Policy Alliance, Due Process Institute, FAMM, Human Rights for Kids, Innocence Project, Law Enforcement Leaders, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, R Street Institute, Right on Crime, Tzedek Association, and Sentencing Project.\n\nBill text is available here.\n\nFSA Reporting Extension Act\n\nThe bipartisan FSA Reporting Extension Act would extend the FSA\u2019s annual reporting requirement by five years. The FSA requires the Attorney General to submit annual reports to Congress on the FSA\u2019s implementation and impact for five consecutive years starting two years after implementation. This information is crucial for Congressional oversight of the continued implementation and operation of the FSA. This simple legislation extends this reporting for the next five years.\n\nBill text is available here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-grassley-introduce-criminal-justice-reform-bills"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 4.703325219452381, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}