Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) talked justice reform on ABC’s “This Week,” suggesting he was open to plans like scaling back mandatory minimum sentences and offering drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration.
Asked specifically about some of these proposals, Scott said he had been part of a diverse working group including Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
“We have been working for the last several months on different proposals,” Scott said.”I’m very interested and very engaged in studying the patterns of who we incarcerate, why we incarcerate and what we can do about it.”
“We’re very open to it,” he said.
“I think body cameras lead us in the right direction,” he said, for example. “I think it helps the officer do their jobs better…and at the same time helps to keep the community safe.”
He emphasized the importance of providing education and skills in troubled communities, citing apprenticeship and charter school programs.
“I was once that kid that we’re talking about drifting in the wrong direction, flunking out of high school. I found my way through the power of education, I found my way through the power of faith,” he said. “There is a trend that can be broken at its foundation if we focus first on education and second on work skills.”
Watch below, via ABC:
