Brian Jones: “I rise today to talk on two issues. First, I would like to talk about the criminal justice reform act that Senator…”

“I rise today to talk on two issues. First, I would like to talk about the criminal justice reform act that Senator Durbin just spoke of. Rather than repeating all that has been said and all of the positive things--and Senator Durbin did an outstanding job outlining all of the issues and how important this bill is for the criminal justice system and for the American public--I would like to take a moment just to commend my colleagues--particularly Senator Durbin and Senator Grassley, Senator Lee, Senator Booker, colleagues in the House of Representatives, and those at the White House who worked so tirelessly over the years to achieve this result. This is a remarkable achievement for the people of this country. I have worked, as most people in this body know, for a number of years as both a prosecutor and as a defense lawyer. In that capacity, I have seen firsthand the problems in a system of justice that seems to have gotten out of whack and that has incarcerated so many people--more than just about any civilized country in the world--and yields very little results. So what I see is an effort of Republicans and Democrats coming together. When I ran for this office last year, I talked consistently about a country and the State of Alabama that had more in common than we have to divide us. I talked more about reaching across the aisle and having dialogues, instead of monologues.…”