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April 1 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump touted a bipartisan overhaul of the criminal justice system during a celebration of the First Step Act on Monday at the White House. "As president, I pledged to work with both parties for the good of the whole nation," Trump said of the legislation, which in part allows inmates to reduce sentences with an earned-time credit program.
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He signed the act in December.
"My administration intends to fully fund and implement this historic law," Trump said Monday. "It's happening, and it's happening, fast."
The law also gives judges more discretion, instead of mandatory minimum sentencing for some drug-related crimes. It boosts prisoner rehabilitation efforts in an effort to reduce recidivism rates, and life sentences for some drug offenders with three convictions, or "three strikes," will be cut to 25 years. Also, the disparity in sentencing guidelines between crack and powder cocaine offenses will be retroactively reduced.
The legislation, which only applies to federal crimes, cuts off a collective 53,000 years of sentences over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Trump has described the legislation as "reasonable sentencing reforms while keeping dangerous and violent criminals off our streets."
