The passage of the First Step Act in 2018 jolted criminal justice issues into the forefront of the public consciousness, and it has remained there since. As COVID ravaged prisons and unrest shook the country in 2020, the nation grappled with the role of the justice system in securing our society while bettering the lives of those all those affected by the burden of incarceration. Meanwhile, policymakers worked tirelessly to maintain bipartisan consensus around these important issues.

To discuss these issues in context, I am joined Brett Tolman. Prior to his work with Right on Crime, Tolman worked in corporate compliance, white collar and government investigations. As a US Attorney in Utah, Brett worked on a range of apposite cases ranging from adoption fraud to national security issues. He has regularly testified before the US Congress and has been on the leading edge of drafting and advocating for numerous pieces of criminal justice legislation, including the First Step Act.