On the recordMay 22, 2017
I thank the gentleman for that very thoughtful addition and his kind words. I think what I want to say to Mr. Conyers, in concluding, is that mass incarceration is real. We have lived with this for decades. We finally have gotten to the point that judges recognize that there are many different ways to deal with individuals who are recidivists at sentencing, regardless of whether or not the previous conviction, as I said earlier, was Federal, State, or military court, and now Tribal. That is the only point that we are making here. Next week, we will have 10 more bills with mandatory minimums. We will all agree with the underlying premise, which is to lock the bad guys up, but we do believe that there is some value to the discretion of judges and courts. I don't believe anyone on this floor--none of us, Republicans or Democrats--would have any argument--none--on the underlying premise of our absolute responsibility, without question, of defending and protecting children from these vile individuals. But I don't have the facts inside the courtroom, and there is not a one-size- fits-all answer. That is what mandatory minimums are. All it does is load our prison systems with bodies, one after another. I conclude with this. The courts have asked for discretion.…
