Republican Sen. Tom Cotton Introduces Bill to Make Carjackers Ineligible for Early Release

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduces legislation to ensure “criminals who commit carjackings aren’t eligible for early release from prison” as people have started to voice frustration over the “revolving door” that suspects are receiving in parts of the country.

Cotton introduced the No Early Release for Carjackers Act of 2023 to ensure that — if the legislation is enacted — prisoners in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons can not be released early from prison.

“A prisoner may not receive credit toward service of the prisoner’s sentence for a crime under section 2119, relating to taking a motor vehicle (commonly referred to as ‘carjacking’),” Cotton’s legislation stated. It would affect all prisoners “in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons on or after the date of enactment of this Act.”

In a statement, Cotton acknowledged “there seems to be widespread agreement in Washington this week that those who commit carjackings shouldn’t be allowed early release from prison” after it appears that the Democrat-controlled Senate is expected to vote with the Republicans on a disapproval resolution on Wednesday to overturn the city’s controversial soft-on-crime bill.

“If that’s the case for D.C., it should be the case in places like Little Rock, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. This bill will ensure carjackers across the country aren’t eligible for early release from federal prison,” Cotton further explained.

In January, CBS News reported data from the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) showed that “Motor vehicle thefts across 30 major cities have increased by 59% from 2019 to 2022.” It was also noted that the number spiked after the start of the coronavirus. Additionally, the data from the amount of motor vehicle thefts were 37,560 higher across 30 cities combined in 2022 than the previous year.

New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson in January voiced his frustrations over the “revolving door” at the criminal court after two suspects — two 18-year-olds — had spent less than 48 hours in custody before being released on bond.

“More or less what we are not seeing is the accountability. That is what is unique to New Orleans, the accountability of these violent offenders being held accountable for their actions,” Ferguson added.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.