Bernie Madoff Sentenced in Ponzi Scheme Case - Montanan Investors Were Victims

Bernard L. Madoff was sentenced in federal court today to 150 years in prison for his Ponzi Scheme that went south along with the economy. Bloomberg has reported that Montanan investors have lost at least $18 million by unwittingly investing in Madoff's scheme.

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009

Check out Senator Webb's informational website on the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009, an Act he introduced in the Senate in March to reform America's criminal justice system. Below is a excerpt taken from his website explaining why the Senator believes the Act is necessary:

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 that I introduced in the Senate on March 26, 2009 will create a blue-ribbon commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice system with an eye toward reshaping the process from top to bottom. I believe that it is time to bring together the best minds in America to confer, report, and make concrete recommendations about how we can reform the process.

Why We Urgently Need this Legislation:

• With 5% of the world's population, our country now houses 25% of the world's reported prisoners.

• Incarcerated drug offenders have soared 1200% since 1980.

• Four times as many mentally ill people are in prisons than in mental health hospitals.

• Approximately 1 million gang members reside in the U.S., many of them foreign-based; and Mexican cartels operate in 230+ communities across the country.

• Post-incarceration re-entry programs are haphazard and often nonexistent, undermining public safety and making it extremely difficult for ex-offenders to become full, contributing members of society.

Senator Webb's artice in Parade can be found here.