Rand Paul was talking prison reform when Jared Kushner jumped on the call

Phillip M. Bailey | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump convenes experts on prison system overhaul President Donald Trump is convening a group of governors, criminal justice experts and faith-based leaders to discuss ways of overhauling the nation's prison system with an eye toward reducing the rate of recidivism. (Jan. 11)

New poll shows 82 percent of Kentuckians think criminal justice reform is needed.

The results caught the attention of President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Kushner joined a call with Sen. Rand Paul to lend his support to reform efforts.

Advocates hope action will be taken before midterm elections in November.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is endorsing new Kentucky polling numbers that show an overwhelming majority of Bluegrass voters want to overhaul the criminal justice system.

The findings were touted by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and a bipartisan group behind the reforms during a conference call Thursday as a way to get Republican leaders and President Trump to move on a proposal before the midterm elections.

"I think that the results of the poll really show this is not a red state issue or a blue state issue, this is a real issue that Americans want to see advance and they want to see the politicians in Washington make progress on," said Kushner, who was a last-minute addition to the call.

The polling finds that 82 percent of Kentuckians believe the U.S. criminal justice system "needs significant improvements."

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Paul said the polling results, gathered from a survey of 500 registered voters, are a clear demonstration that Kentucky supports overhauling the current system.

"I appreciate the findings that show in Kentucky it's overwhelmingly popular no matter who you are or what party you're in that people do want their to be justice," he said. "There are people who are poor, often minorities, who get caught up in this system and really it ruins their whole life."

Key findings from the poll.

► 82 percent, including 90 percent of independents, think a person convicted of non-violent drug offenses should not be sentenced to life in prison.

► 74 percent think Congress should give judges the option to depart from mandatory minimums in certain circumstances.

► 70 percent think the prison and sentencing reform bill should get a vote in the Senate.

► 89 percent think that the main goal of our criminal justice system should be rehabilitating inmates to become productive, law-abiding citizens.

Criminal justice reform advocates have been pushing the pedal on a proposal that has been shackled in the Senate for months amid reported concerns that the legislation could split the GOP majority.

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Under the proposal, which is sponsored by Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democrat Dick Durbin of Illinois, there are four amendments that would be added to the prison reforms approved by the House this year.

Among the changes the two are proposing would be reducing the mandatory drug sentencing guidelines from life to 25 years for a third conviction and from 25 to 15 years on the second.

It also would give judges more discretion to give out more lenient sentences on drug offenses, and retroactively change sentencing for people already locked up on cases involving crack and powder cocaine disparities.

Kushner said Thursday it is important that supporters, "keep the pressure up" to get a bill to the desk of President Donald Trump, who is his father-in-law. He said he has been in discussions with several senators about approving a proposal just months after a similar proposal made it through the House.

"Right now we're very close to finalizing a package in the Senate," Kushner said.

Kushner's comments come just a week after reports surfaced that the president had quashed his son-in-law's push to accomplish something ahead of the midterm elections, according to Axios.

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Kushner, who did not take any questions during the conference all, never addressed the reporting on push back from the president. But he said he has been working hard to correct the "misinformation" about what the Grassley-Durbin changes do while emphasizing who it helps.

"I think the most important thing is this bill will help a lot of people but it will keep our community safer, which is a big priority of the president," Kushner said.

Holly Harris, who leads the nonprofit Justice Action Network, said after the survey's results were sent to the White House that Kushner was eager to trumpet its findings.

"It's a huge surprise but hopefully it underscores to everyone how committed this White House is to ensuring that a broad criminal justice reform package gets to the president's desk this year," said Harris, a veteran Republican strategist who is a native Kentuckian.

Advocates are also aiming to persuade Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell with the polling's numbers. One of the survey questions specifically asked respondents if they want McConnell, who is seeking re-election in 2020, to bring this measure up for a vote in the Senate.

The results show 70 percent of Kentuckians believe McConnell should do so. It also touts that 16 percent of Kentucky registered voters said they would be more likely to vote for him versus 8 percent less likely should he bring such reforms to the Senate floor.

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Republican pollster Bob Blizzard, who conducted the survey, said in a time of hyper-partisanship these numbers show significant majorities in both parties favor this overhaul.

"It is a do-no-harm vote because it is going to make people much more likely to vote for your re-election than not likely," he said.

Spokesman Robert Steurer said McConnell discussed the issue with Kushner last week, but downplayed the prospects of something coming out before November.

"The leader made it clear following that meeting, there will be no vote on this legislation during the pre-election work period," he said. "And while no commitments were made by the leader on holding a vote, proponents of the legislation will continue to discuss the issue with their colleagues followed by a whip count after the October session to accurately assess the conference's view on the issue."

But Paul said during the conference call that if it is allowed on the floor, the proposal could get up to 70 votes in the Senate. He said it would also be good for the country to see significant legislation pass with bipartisan support.

"This is a no-brainer and this is something where right and left can come together," Paul said.

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/philb.