Contrasting himself with his ex-running mate, former Vice President Mike Pence is now expressing skepticism about the landmark criminal justice reform measure passed during the Trump-Pence administration.
The First Step Act enjoyed the support of former President Donald Trump, as well as reality television star Kim Kardashian. The measure’s journey through the government and ultimate signing were heavily publicized by the previous administration, with Trump himself touting the law as one of his greatest accomplishments.
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In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Pence said, “I think the time has come for us to take a step back from the First Step Act,” citing “the crime wave besetting many of our major cities around the country” in his reasoning.
This doesn’t mean he doesn’t support some criminal justice reform measures, however.
“When I was governor of Indiana, we enacted criminal justice reform, but we combined measures to introduce faith-based programs to break the cycle of recidivism with tougher penalties on serious crime,” he explained.
“I think Congress would do well—and the next Republican president would do well—to take a step back from the First Step Act, to see how we can toughen penalties on people that are victimizing our families and perpetrating violent crimes, while still promoting programs that encourage people to live honest lives going forward,” Pence added.
The Indiana Republican is not the only 2024 candidate sharing doubts about Trump’s criminal justice reforms. Soon after announcing his own campaign, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) attacked the law in an interview, calling it “a jailbreak bill.” “It has allowed dangerous people out of prison who have now re-offended, and really, really hurt a number of people.”
DeSantis further announced his intention to seek the measure’s repeal as president.
Trump’s campaign did not provide comment when contacted by the Washington Examiner.
According to the Council on Criminal Justice’s Pandemic, Social Unrest, and Crime in U.S. Cities: Year-End 2022 Update, the year saw encouraging trends with declines in various types of crime. The report does note that the national homicide rate is still “34% higher than in 2019,” before the pandemic began.
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Even with the promising trends, the report’s authors wrote that “high rates of violent crime require immediate action from law enforcement and policymakers.”
As Pence explained, “the bottom line is that that Joe Biden and the Democratic Left want to defund the police. And as President of the United States, I will always stand, without apology, for the men and women on the thin blue line.”
