Melvin Watt: “I will probably vote for it, but I do think that we need to point out some things to the American people about this bill…”

“I will probably vote for it, but I do think that we need to point out some things to the American people about this bill and some concerns that I have. No. 1, there is a provision in this bill that talks about when a person is on probation or parole and is not able to meet the restitution schedule, that probation or parole can be revoked, and I think that gets us dangerously close to being back to the point of the old debtors prison, and I want the American people to be aware that that provision exists in the bill. There is a process for going back into the court and getting the restitution order revised, but I think that process is going to be very, very difficult. So it causes me some concern. The second point I want to raise is the matter of due process under this bill. There is really no detailed way drawn out in the bill for due process to be given to the defendant in this case. There is no process for a hearing at the initial level to decide whether the restitution is just or how much restitution will be awarded, and there are some concerns that I have about that.”