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| ABA Plans to Examine Long Prison Terms |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 08/24/2003 |
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Following up on blunt criticism of the U.S. criminal justice system from Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the nation's largest lawyers' organization plans an examination of long prison terms and conditions behind bars. The American Bar Association will look at whether mandatory minimum prison terms should be abolished, the group's new president said Monday. Over the coming year, the ABA will also consider whether federal sentencing guidelines should be relaxed so that prisoners face less severe terms, and whether some current prisoners should win pardons, ABA President Dennis Archer said. Kennedy, a moderate conservative appointed by President Reagan, made those recommendations in an address to the ABA on Saturday. Kennedy also pointed to high numbers of black men in prison and a lack of resources to help prisoners avoid crime when they get out. Lawyers too often ignore what happens when a trial is over and the prison door shuts, Kennedy said. 'We accept his challenge to evaluate many areas of our criminal justice system,' Archer said. The ABA can lobby Congress and statehouses, and it sets ethical and policy guidelines for its members. |
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