Senate easily approves criminal justice legislation

By a vote of 87-12, the Republican-led Senate passed and sent to the House of Representatives the "First Step Act," which would ease the way for some prisoners to win early release to halfway houses or home confinement. The legislation also aims to establish programs to head off repeat offenders and protect first-time non-violent offenders from harsh mandatory minimum sentences. Earlier this year, the House passed a bipartisan bill focusing on prison reforms, which did not include sentencing reforms.

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