Orrin Hatch: “I rise today to address the topic of criminal justice reform. There has been a lot of discussion in Congress recently on…”

“I rise today to address the topic of criminal justice reform. There has been a lot of discussion in Congress recently on this subject. Nearly all of the conversation has focused on sentencing. Various proposals have been introduced to cut prison sentences, augment judges' ability to sentence below statutory minimums or allow prisoners to earn early release for good behavior. A number of my colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee have been meeting behind closed doors for months to try to reach a compromise--a compromise that incorporates elements of these various proposals. I rise today to address the broader parameters of criminal justice reform and to remind my colleagues that sentencing reform is only one piece of the broader effort that has been underway for some time now in both houses of Congress. There are a number of other aspects of criminal justice reform that merit our attention, foremost of which is the need to ensure meaningful criminal intent requirements in our statutes and regulations. Over the past several years, a unique coalition of Members and stakeholder groups from across the ideological spectrum have been working together to address the problem of overcriminalization. There is broad, bipartisan agreement in many quarters that Congress has criminalized too much conduct and mandated overly harsh penalties for too many crimes.…”