Brett L. Tolman is the executive director for Right On Crime. He was a leading figure in the drafting and passage of the First Step Act, one of the most sweeping reforms of the federal criminal justice system in decades. Prior to entering private practice, Tolman was appointed by President George Bush in 2006 as the United States Attorney for the District of Utah and held that office for nearly 4 years from 2006-2009. In 2009 he handled the prosecution of Brian David Mitchell, the alleged kidnapper of Elizabeth Smart.
James T. Woods Act would take necessary steps One night nearly a year ago, Marilyn Davidson’s worst nightmare as a mother came true at the dinner table. Like most other parents, Marilyn had taught her son about the dangers he might encounter as he grew up, including drugs, alcohol, strangers and unsafe situations. Still, there was one...
Every administration has a responsibility to adapt to the realities of the moment. This year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner should have been the same as any other: a beloved, annual tradition that brings together the media, politicians, and administration officials to celebrate our free press, build relationships, and honor the First Amendment. Instead, the event served as...
Kayleigh Kozak was 12 when she was molested by her teacher. Although the harm done to her as a child can never be undone, her story has become a catalyst for a broader conversation about how the justice system protects victims after an offender has been convicted and sentenced. Kayleigh’s experience highlights a painful gap that...
Originally published in the Houston Chronicle. In the national debate over bail policy, Texas has refused to gamble with public safety. Other jurisdictions embraced blanket cashless bail policies that turned courthouses into revolving doors and allowed repeat criminals and violent offenders to walk free. But long before recent headlines, Texas began charting a different course. With...
If you don’t care about the criminal justice system, just wait until the criminal justice system cares about you or someone you love. An estimated 70 million to 100 million Americans – roughly 1 in 3 – have a criminal record and many, like former President Donald Trump, are at the mercy of acrimonious justice. Any law officer...
President Trump has been and will continue to be a target of political persecution. If history tells us anything, it will continue to trail him indefinitely. It would certainly shock any American to hear that “use of deadly force” was authorized against you and your family, just as it did Tuesday for former President Donald Trump. As...
Cops in cities like Detroit and Dallas are cutting crime. Biden’s billions didn’t help DC. The re-election campaign for President Joe Biden is spending significant bandwidth trying to rehabilitate his poor reputation on the subject of crime and criminal justice policy, and for good reason. Recent polling shows that more than half of the country is dissatisfied...
There is no more vital function of government than protecting public safety, and that solemn duty must include anchoring criminal justice policies in evidence. While Louisiana leaders are rightfully making crime a priority during this legislative special session, proposals to virtually abolish parole and restrict good time credit would cost taxpayers millions without making Louisiana...
On just one Saturday night this month, three DePaul University students, all women, were robbed within half an hour on the school’s Lincoln Park campus in Chicago. One of the women was hit in the face by her assailant. Across town, numerous armed robberies and murders were taking place at the same time. In all, Chicago reported at least 22...
Justice Department traditionally offers an unforgiving, hard line on firearms offenses No one can claim surprise that the law is finally catching up to Hunter Biden. I’ve warned before that this could be “one of the biggest political scandals in American history,” and we have just witnessed the first time a son of a sitting...
The courthouse is a very bleak house, indeed. Injustice makes it so—especially when it’s justice for some, but not for all. One judge I know says she looks forward to the adoptions she officiates: “An adoption is just about the only time people come to the courthouse and everyone leaves happy,” she told me. “For...
Americans are wise to the Biden crime family’s long history of corruption Really? Are we back to “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is”? Because that’s what Democrats spinning the testimony of Biden family associate Devon Archer on Monday are going with, contending that the president may have sat in on some phone...