Remarks by President Trump at FIRST STEP Act Roundtable with Governor Bryant and Law Enforcement Leaders | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport  •  Gulfport, Mississippi  •  November 27, 2018  •  6:50 P.M. CST

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you for being here. I'm thrilled to be back in the great state of Mississippi.

    We're here today to discuss a landmark prison reform bill called the FIRST STEP Act - so important. This legislation will help former inmates reenter society as productive law-abiding citizens and it has tremendous support no matter where we go. Tremendous support. Beyond anything I would've expected.

    We're grateful to be joined by Vice President Mike Pence. Mike, thank you very much.

    THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. President.

    THE PRESIDENT: Governor Phil Bryant. Phil, great job you've done.
President Trump at FIRST STEP Act Roundtable in Mississippi: Above. (White House photo)     Click image to expand.

    Senator Roger Wicker. Where's Roger? Roger, right here. Roger - come here, Roger. Give me five. You've been a tremendous help.

    Senator - and we can almost say, "Senator-Elect" - if you want to know the truth. But you have been there and you've done a great job.

    SENATOR HYDE-SMITH: Thank you.

    THE PRESIDENT: And hopefully you will be Senator-Elect, because tomorrow we're tomorrow we're going to elect her. And we have a tremendous race going on, and she's - Cindy Hyde-Smith has been fantastic. And she's been not only a great candidate, but she's been really an outstanding person in Washington for the short time, and now for a long time - for many years, we hope, Cindy. So good luck tomorrow.

    SENATOR HYDE-SMITH: Thank you, Mr. President.

    THE PRESIDENT: Good luck tomorrow.

    Senator Lindsey Graham, who's my friend and done a fantastic job, especially with the hearings on Justice Kavanaugh. That was an amazing moment, I will tell you.

    Jared Kushner has worked so hard on what we're here about tonight. Jared, thank you. Fantastic job.

    And a number of the tremendous Mississippi law enforcement leaders who will be talking in a little while. I think we're going to be hearing some of their comments and suggestions, Phil. And I look forward to that.

    The FIRST STEP Act has been a great bipartisan effort, and I look forward to continuing to be partners with Cindy and all of the people; Roger; the people of Mississippi who have worked so hard on legislation, and this legislation in particular.

    What we'll have here is communities will be safer by helping inmates gain the skills that they need to obtain jobs and stay out of prison after they are released, which has been a tremendous topic. I think we've helped a lot, because the economy is so good that a lot of people that would not have had a chance - Phil, you know this - that they would not have had a chance are now getting jobs, and the people that are hiring these people are saying some incredible things. I guess not in all cases, but in many cases. Right? It's not in all cases for anyone. But frankly, they are getting phenomenal reviews, so that's really good. So the economy is a big factor.

    Enact reasonable sentencing reforms to ensure fairness while keeping dangerous criminals off the street - so important - and revitalize our criminal justice system to be tough on crime but also smart on crime.

    So I think what I'd like to do is maybe just go around. And I'd love to start with you because you have done such a great job. Phil has told me all about you. And maybe I'd like to start with you, and hear your ideas and any suggestions on the bill.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: Mr. President -

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: Thank you so much. I appreciate the opportunity to be taking part in such a most important conversation from a justice reform.

    THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: And being a member of the correctional system, the leader of the correctional system, recognizing that there had to be a shift in our focus from true incarceration to rehabilitation or reentry.

    We've done tremendous efforts in Mississippi with our criminal justice reform legislation that we passed in 2014, House Bill 585, that was (inaudible) criminal justice reform to address those issues of citizen reform to look at who we are incarcerating, the reasons that we're incarcerating those people and for the lengths of those sentences, recognizing that not everyone belongs in the criminal justice system -

    THE PRESIDENT: Right.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: - and in prison, and that we had to have something alternative to incarceration.

    So with the support of Governor Bryant and our legislative body, we've made some great changes in our process.

    The Department now has more reentry services, and we know that it takes resources to be able to do that - that vocational training.

    We have to address all of those issues that cause people to recidivate. We have to address their housing needs, their employment needs, their educational needs, and their substance abuse and mental health needs.

    Our correctional system in Mississippi has approximately 19,400 people in it. We were able to divert that population with our criminal justice reform legislation. From 2013, we were projected to grow well over 23,000 people. We made some successes in reducing our population to 19,400, but we have much more work to do.

    And so with all of those measures that we're trying to put in place - like you said, being smart on crime reduction - that we're addressing their reentry needs and making sure that they have vocational training when they leave our system; making sure that we are getting them transitional housing so that they have a place to go once they leave, and that we're making sure that we address all of those needs.

    Our system has approximately two-thirds of it that have substance abuse issues -

    THE PRESIDENT: Right.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: - whether it be alcohol-related issues or, you know, substance abuse. And so we knew that we had to expand what we were doing from a alcohol and drug treatment standpoint.

    We were able to get a grant - and I don't want to talk too long, Mr. President -

    THE PRESIDENT: No, it's okay. No, it's very fascinating what you're saying. No, you go ahead. She's very passionate and really knowledgeable. That's very nice. Go ahead.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: I appreciate it. We were able to get a grant with the Department of Mental Health. And with that grant, we're able to service people with co-occurring disorders, those with both the mental health and substance abuse issues. And in 2016, we were able to get a $600,000 grant for the state of Mississippi to address those needs.

    We've done so well with those measures they've extended our grant, and so we've extended for three years to expand in other counties across the state to address those needs. And so we recognize that unless we deal with that population from a mental health and substance abuse standpoint, we're going to lose.

    THE PRESIDENT: Right.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: And so we're expanding our services in that regard, but we're also addressing the vocational training. That is a great need. Like, you talk about that second-chance employment that the private sector has now gotten onboard with us and said, "Okay, what can we do help you reemploy these people that are leaving our correctional system?"

    We know that anywhere from 90 to 95 percent of the people in our system are coming back to our communities. So we want to make sure that they're coming back better than they were when they were in our system. So we're making sure that they get that vocational training that they need.

    One new problem that we had - and I think the Governor is proud of it - is our CDL program, because we know the trucking industry is one of those industries that employs a lot of people returning to the communities. And so -

    GOVERNOR BRYANT: Commercial Driver's License.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: That's right. That's right. So with those commercial driver's licenses, we're going to be able to employ a lot of people leaving our correctional system.

    So the construction industry, the trucking industry, as well as the factory-related businesses - Nissan has come out as a very good partner of ours; the Brown Bottling Group - all of those industries has said we're willing to offer second-chance employment.

    So we recognize that as a benefit to the Department, and we're going to continue to do more of that and expanding those programs, but recognizing that it's going to take the resources; that you have to invest in corrections in order for us to realize those great benefits. And we're doing that with the help of the Governor and others in the state of Mississippi.

    And so we're on track to ultimately save the state $264 million over a 10-year period.

    THE PRESIDENT: And better lives.

    COMMISSIONER HALL: That's right. That's right. To make more taxpayers and tax burdens. And that's what we're all focused on doing. And investing in corrections and investing in the criminal justice system is ultimately investing in true public safety and crime reduction, and that's what we're all about.

    THE PRESIDENT: Boy, that is so great. Such passion, too. That was really impressive. Fantastic job you just did.

    And the level of - that is really - would you say, Lindsey, that is great passion and that's why you're so great at what you're doing. And I've heard you've had tremendous success. Phil told me about it. And I want to just thank you very much.
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