100th Anniversary Passage of the Federal Probation Act of 1925

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today we honor the 100th anniversary of the Federal Probation Act of 1925, the pivotal law that established our Federal probation system, thereby helping to reduce unnecessary detention and crime. This is a prime example of criminal justice reform designed to make our communities safer and allow offenders a second chance to reintegrate into society.

Probation, like many other criminal justice reforms, did not happen overnight. Some Federal judges were in favor of a probationary system, seeing it as an alternative to the sometimes-harsh penalties they felt constrained to impose. Other Federal judges were against probation, believing it too lenient. Congress could not reach agreement on a national plan. While the first Federal probation bills were introduced in Congress in 1909, it was not until 1925--after more than 30 bills had been introduced--that the Federal Probation Act came to fruition.

Since passage, we have seen the life-changing effects of probation as an alternative to prison. This is especially true for past offenders suffering from substance abuse and mental health challenges. Our probation system provides these individuals with structured supervision and access to treatment programs that offer the tools they need to lead productive lives.

In the United States alone, approximately 90,700 dedicated probation officers and correctional treatment specialists work every day to reduce recidivism and promote public safety. I want to thank them for their hard work and dedicated service.

Last December, on the sixth anniversary of the First Step Act, another landmark piece of criminal justice reform legislation, I highlighted that most people who are incarcerated will ultimately be released, so we must prepare them for a successful reentry. The First Step Act is bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation designed to make our justice system fairer and our communities safer by changing sentencing laws and providing opportunities for incarcerated people to prepare to reenter society successfully.

I was proud to champion this landmark legislation alongside Senators Grassley, Booker, and Lee. It took months of bipartisan negotiation and compromise. But the result was a historic victory that significantly improved our justice system.

I can safely say that the Federal Probation Act laid the groundwork 100 years ago for legislation like the First Step Act.

Today, we are all responsible for advancing this work through the passage of fair and effective criminal justice reforms. And I would like to thank the Administrative Office for the Courts' Office of Probation and Pretrial Services and the Federal Probation and Pretrial Services Officers Association for their continued partnership in leading this work. It is an honor to celebrate 100 years of this pivotal law.

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