On January 16, the U. S. Senate passed the FY 2014 Omnibus Bill. By doing so, it established the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections. The non-partisan task force will make recommendations on a host of issues surrounding the criminal justice system, including recidivism rates, rights of both victims and inmates, and cost controls.
“This was an example of Republicans and Democrats coming together to pass a sensible plan,” says Justice Fellowship President Craig DeRoche. “Conservatives and liberals both agreed that our criminal justice system is broken and needs major reform. We look forward to the national discussion that will ensue with the establishment of the Charles Colson Task Force.”
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2014 — Justice Fellowship President Craig DeRoche released the following statement about the FY 2014 omnibus spending bill, which was passed tonight by the U.S. Senate. The bill provides $1 million to establish the independent, nine-person, bipartisan Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections. The task force would examine a variety of challenges within the federal corrections system.
MEDIA NOTE: DeRoche is available to discuss the Charles Colson Task Force and the need to reform our nation’s criminal justice system.
“This was an example of Republicans and Democrats coming together to pass a sensible plan,” said DeRoche. “Conservatives and liberals both agreed that our criminal justice system is broken and needs major reform. We look forward to the national discussion that will ensue with the establishment of the Charles Colson Task Force.”
About Justice Fellowship
Addressing injustices within the criminal justice system was a natural extension of the late Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship ministry to the men and women behind prison walls. This led him in 1983 to found Justice Fellowship to reform the justice system according to biblical restorative justice principles so that communities are safer, victims are respected and people who commit crimes are transformed. Since that time, Colson and Justice Fellowship have played a leading role in working with members of Congress to pass groundbreaking justice reforms, including the:
- Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993)
- Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (2000)
- Prison Rape Elimination Act (2003)
- Second Chance Act (2009)
- Fair Sentencing Act (2010)
