John Malcolm in the November 20, 2015 edition of the Daily Signal writes on the need for sentencing reform.
“I was recently bemoaning the fact that mens rea reform was not part of the various proposals that were being considered in the House and the Senate under the rubric of criminal justice reform, and that what was really being discussed was criminal sentencing reform. Well, I need lament no longer. This week, significant mens rea reform bills were introduced in both the House and the Senate Judiciary Committees. Both bills would set a default mens rea standard for federal criminal laws that lack such a standard.
“It’s about time. As I have previously written, there is a pressing need for such legislation. While sentencing reform addresses how long offenders should be incarcerated, mens rea reform addresses those who should not be convicted of crimes in the first place.”