The man has some stones

One of thornier issues in modern politics is prison reform. The nation’s collective freak out over drug usage in the 70’s and 80’s spawned some really stupid and Draconian laws that have placed millions of non-violent drug users in jail, at huge expense and little societal benefit IMHO. Yet reform efforts are often cast by the law and order crowd as soft on crime initiatives meant to coddle criminals. So it takes some nerve to wade into that particular pool and Sen. Webb appears to be jumping in with both feet.

Alarmed by prisons that are clogged with mentally ill people, drug users and other non-violent offenders while well-armed gangs and drug lords often go unpunished, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb will launch a wide-ranging and politically risky campaign today to overhaul the nation's criminal justice system.

[Snip]

After winning his Senate seat by a razor-thin margin in 2006, "he's improved his standing" with Virginia voters, said Mark Rozell, a political scientist at George Mason University. "He's now seen as a strong incumbent."

But Rozell added that "being hard on crime is the politically safe place to be.... There's just not a lot of public sentiment out there to do something about incarceration time.
"Whether he's doing the right thing or not, politically it's risky."

Kudos to the Senator for taking this on. It will not be easy and he had better watch his back.