DESPITE THE BAGGERS, THE SENATE MOVES TOWARD A REAL IMPROVEMENT

The full bill won't be released until tomorrow so there might be a "poison pill" tucked in the criminal justice reform measure that the Senate seems ready to pass. Right now, the details look pretty good:

The bill would significantly reduce federal mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent, repeat drug offenders and limit circumstances under which someone might face a “three strikes, you’re out” life sentence. It also would give judges more discretion to override a mandatory minimum. The bill would apply the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 – which drastically reduced the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine – retroactively. ... The bill would also limit solitary confinement for juveniles in federal facilities

One key graph that makes me think we will see real reform:

However, Mark Holden, general counsel for Koch Industries and a top conservative voice for criminal justice reform, said on Wednesday that while he’d ultimately like to see Hatch's hoped for changes, “I’m assuming that there’s enough really good stuff that everybody can coalesce around.”

I've previously read reports that the Koch brothers were supporting criminal justice reform and now it looks like those reports are correct.