become friends, matthew charles, the president referenced in his state of the union, and alice marie johnson -- alexarie johnson, as we were lobbying to pass the act, who spent decades in prison. .his woman is a grandmother her marriage fell apart, she had five children, she was desperate to feed her kids and ended up falling into gambling and had this debt and fell into a drug conspiracy. this is one of the kindest women i have ever met. i thought, how are we serving public safety and how are we serving society by keeping this woman behind bars? presidenteful the sees the value in criminal justice reform, whether it is from a policy or political perspective i do not care. i am grateful he sees the value. carefulnk we have to be to get a lot of credit to chuck grassley, a conservative from iowa, and dick durbin, a progressive from illinois, who held firm together and cap promises to each other. because of those two individuals and so many others on both sides of the aisle, we are embarking on a new day in the american justice system that is rooted in a concern for public safety and ensuring the righ