The U.S. House of Representatives will be taking up a companion version of Virginia Sen. Jim Webb’s proposal for a commission to recommend changes in the criminal justice system, Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA.) told the Huffington Post. Delahunt, a senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said that reform of the American justice system should begin with a broad look at drug policy. “I think it’s really time to do an absolute overview of the issue of drugs and come at it with an open mind,” he said.
The bill, he said, “would create a commission of respected individuals in the field with a time frame for review. This deals with gang violence and everything else, but clearly, as you continue to peel back the problems, dealing with crime in this country, and particularly violent crime, the one common nexus is drugs. So you’ve gotta take a hard look at that.” Delahunt is a former prosecutor.