Tillis Calls For Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform

Press Release

Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) joined Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) at the Washington Post Juvenile Justice Summit for a discussion about juvenile justice reform and sentencing reform.

Senator Tillis stressed the need for members of the Senate to work past the far-right and far-left in order to pass criminal justice reform legislation.

In 2011, as North Carolina Speaker of the House, Tillis spearheaded the passage of the Justice Reinvestment Act, sweeping criminal justice reform legislation. The law has resulted in a reduction in North Carolina's prison population and a significant decrease in the recidivism rate. Then-Speaker Tillis also presided over the passage of several juvenile justice reforms, including allowing a juvenile's criminal record to be expunged of non-violent offenses, limiting detention for certain offenses, and eliminating mandatory life sentences without parole for youth.

In the Senate, Tillis has continued his advocacy for criminal and juvenile justice reform. He is a co-sponsor of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, which would recalibrate prison sentences for certain non-violent drug offenders while also targeting violent criminals and adding two new mandatory minimum sentences. The legislation also seeks to reduce recidivism through education, job training, drug rehabilitation, and faith-based programs.

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