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An odd thing was happening in Washington. 

 were working together on criminal justice reform.

A bipartisan coalition stretching from the conservative Koch Brothers to the liberal American Civil Liberties Union with several lawmakers in between, banded together in an effort to reduce soaring prison populations and spending and reform the rigid system around sentencing.  

Can that cooperation last in an increasingly divisive political climate — and with Attorney General Jeff Sessions tugging 

? 
 
Proposed legislation points toward the pendulum swinging in the opposite direction. 

 that would create harsher penalties for people caught with possession or intent to sell opioids. 

"I think you're seeing a political sea-change that's going on that started with the president who was campaigning on a very sort of law and order campaign platform," Justin George said. He is a 

Washington correspondent for the Marshall Project

, and he joined MPR News for a conversation about the future of criminal justice reform. 

The campaign rhetoric coupled with the appointment of 

 — who fought justice reform bill last year — marks a shift that hearkens back to the 

Holly Harris, executive director of the Justice Action Network

, also joined MPR News, and she noted that the pendulum has moved, but it hasn't swung entirely in the opposite direction. 

decrease their prison population and spending

"I would just caution any sort of suggestion that what is happening in Washington is indicative to what the American people want," Harris said.  

George said there are three prongs that drew more conservatives to push for criminal justice reform: 

• Does the current system work, and is it cost effective? 

• Can we use forgiveness to help put families back together?  
Are the sentences really fair? 

• Does sentencing reflect the differences between a drug crime and violent crime? 

Harris, who is a conservative, hopes Republican leaders in power, like Sessions, can reframe their approach to this subject.  

"What I would say to Mr. Sessions is: Shouldn't this be about public safety? This shouldn't be about political rhetoric or what you perceive to be popular. This should be about what truly lowers crime rates." 

To hear the full conversation, use the audio player above. 

This winter, MPR News with Kerri Miller hosted a series of discussions on criminal justice. We spoke about private prisons, the rising number of incarcerated women, reform in the eyes of a county attorney, the use of grand juries, what justice looks like in Native American communities and a general look at the system from the people who work in it.


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Will the bipartisan movement toward criminal justice reform continue under new leadership?

Earlier this month, the Senate Judiciary committee confirmed that they're working on a bill to increase the mandatory sentencing for the possession and sale of opioids. This marks a sharp left turn from the bipartisan coalition for criminal justice reform under the Obama administration. MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke to two experts about Attorney General Session's proposed changes and how people on both sides of the aisle are responding.

Is there still support for criminal justice reform?

Go Deeper.

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