President Donald Trump is backing a bipartisan prison reform bill. He announced his support of the FIRST STEP Act at the White House on Wednesday.
The legislation aims to help prisoners "gain job skills, drug treatment, and education" in order to prepare them for a successful re-entry to society. It would also try to move prisoners in federal prisons closer to their families to make visits easier.
Trump says his administration worked closely with law enforcement on the bill to ensure it "remains tough on crime."
"The bill includes reasonable sentencing reforms while keeping dangerous and violent criminals off our streets. In many respects, we're getting very much tougher on the truly bad criminals — of which, unfortunately, there are many. But we're treating people differently for different crimes," Trump said.
Trump's backing is a big win for his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has put a lot of effort into this cause.
Trump urged lawmakers in the House and Senate to get a final bill on his desk for signing.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN
