Executive Order on First Step Act Signed by President Biden

Executive order on First Step Act was signed by President Biden on May 25, 2022. This was regarding criminal justice reform. The press release was titled, “President Biden to Sign Historic Executive Order to Advance Effective, Accountable Policing and Strengthen Public Safety.”

The executive order sweeps broadly and includes the following:

Requires full implementation of the FIRST STEP Act. The Attorney General will update the DOJ policy as necessary to fully implementation metrics, including an assessment of any disparate impact of the PATTERN risk assessment tool and steps to correct such disparities.

In my opinion, the sentiment behind the order is good, but largely performative. The order does call for things guaranteed by the First Step Act. Yet, it does not appear to necessarily translate into something that impacts individuals in a meaningful way. Nonetheless, I believe it is a step in the right direction to continue crucial criminal justice reform. We will continue to monitor this matter as it develops in response to the executive order on First Step Act.