House criminal justice caucus aims for reform

A bipartisan group of U.S. House members, including Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), recently began a movement to address America’s flawed criminal justice system and public safety concerns.

Chaffetz joined Reps. Cedric Reichmond (D-LA), Raul Labrador (R-ID) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as co-chairs of the new Congressional Criminal Justice and Public Safety Caucus, which will be focused on educating Congress and the public about rehabilitation, crime mitigation, reforms for the prison system, community collaboration, and developments in justice and safety in the U.S.

The new caucus will bring together policymakers, experts from the judiciary, White House representatives, community stakeholders and advocates from a broad spectrum of ideologies to create legislative action and host a more informed debate.

The group also hopes to improve the relationship between the public and law enforcement. To achieve this, the caucus will encourage positive policing interactions and increased training.

“The price of maintaining the largest inmate population in the world is high, both for our communities and for our pocketbooks,” Chaffetz said. “Working together across the aisle, I believe we can find common ground on proven strategies to administer justice, rehabilitate offenders, reduce recidivism and cut costs.”