ROLL CALL: Panel Offers Historical Perspective on Prison Reform.

A trio of criminal justice experts spoke on a panel last week on Capitol Hill with the hope that Congress will take their knowledge into account when crafting policy for an overhaul of the system.

The promise of a prison sentencing overhaul in the United States is gaining momentum, with bipartisan legislation introduced this month in the Senate. But while policy has been implemented to reduce incarceration rates — including the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s decision last year to lessen the punishment for federal drug offenders and President Barack Obama’s recent executive actions — the experts cited lingering concerns.

The National History Center, an organization looking to broaden the role of historical knowledge in public decision-making and policy, hosted the discussion on the history of incarceration in the United States.

The panel’s goal in this ongoing series is to address members of Congress. While the audience of some 30 people was made up mostly of academics and advocates, the hourlong discussion in the Rayburn building helped give a historical context to the current mass incarceration system and potential legislation to address it.

Well, good.