Trump’s First 100 Days: Criminal Justice Reform

President Trump’s return to the White House was immediately defined by fervent executive action ranging from flurries of executive orders to drastic deregulation. The Trump Administration has been keen to reshape policy at every level to reverse the harmful rules and regulations of the previous administration, and their approach to criminal justice reform is no different. In the first 100 days of his presidency, President Trump has directed numerous initiatives restoring accountability to the criminal justice system and mirroring many of the same reform efforts that the CPAC Foundation’s Nolan Center for Justice has actively pursued at both the state and federal level.

Terminating Biden’s Criminal Justice Framework

Immediately following his inauguration, President Trump rescinded a plethora of Biden’s executive orders, one of which established harmful federal law enforcement policies:

“Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices To Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety”

Action: Imposed a federal one-size fits all approach to local policing, embedded DEI principles into federal policing policy, and limited police access to military equipment and certain uses of force.

Impact: Eroded the autonomy of law enforcement agencies and made policing less safe for both officers and the public. Instituted discriminatory and equity-based approaches to law enforcement.

Support for Rescission: Empowering local agencies and prioritizing rehabilitation and due process leads to more effective criminal justice outcomes than policies that diminish local law enforcement authority. The Biden Administration’s focus on DEI-related initiatives over proven law enforcement strategies weakened respect for the rule of law and conflicted with the principles of fair and effective justice.

Trump’s Executive Order: A New Framework

“Strengthening America’s Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens”

Action: Expands resources and training for police and increases law enforcement access to military equipment. The order also directs legal action against officials obstructing law enforcement or using race-based initiatives in policing.

Rationale: By providing officers with robust legal protection, law enforcement will be empowered to police more effectively. Holding officials accountable for hindering police efforts will restore respect for the rule of law and enhance public safety.

Support: At CPAC 2025, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday spoke at length about the importance of supporting law enforcement and ensuring that officers are properly trained and equipped to keep communities safe, all of which are emphasized in this executive order.

Regulatory Actions Impacting Criminal Justice

The United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) is implementing major reforms to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines effective November 1, 2025, representing the most comprehensive update in years. Alongside these amendments, the USSC is also establishing two new advisory groups to guarantee that sentencing policies are informed by real-world experience, expert analysis, and high-quality data. Together, these initiatives aim to modernize sentencing, promote fairness, and enhance transparency and accountability in the federal justice system:

Sentencing Guidelines for United States Courts

Action: These amendments alter a vast array of provisions concerning sentencing, including establishing a simplified three-step sentencing process and allowing early terminations for rehabilitated individuals. Other changes include fairer treatment of low-level drug offenders, preventing minor traffic stops from inflating criminal history, and emphasizing statutory factors for individualized sentencing.

Rationale: These reforms aim to reduce unwarranted disparities and over-supervision while ensuring sentences are clearly justified and reviewable. By focusing on the defendant’s specific role and conduct, the amendments support reintegration, fairness, and proportionality in sentencing. The changes seek to make the system more consistent, just, and easier to apply, ultimately promoting public trust and equitable outcomes.

Support: CPAC has consistently supported reforms to sentencing guidelines that increase judicial discretion, reduce unnecessary incarceration, and prioritize transparency, consistency, and second chances over rigid uniform sentencing. USSC’s proposed amendments align with these values by simplifying the sentencing process and ensuring that penalties are proportionate.

Sentence Impact Advisory Group

Action: USSC is creating the Sentence Impact Advisory Group (SIAG) and is soliciting applications for membership from a diverse range of stakeholders, including judges, attorneys, corrections ocials, academics, and those directly affected by federal sentencing. SIAG will provide expert, ongoing feedback on how changes to federal sentencing guidelines impact real-world outcomes, making the process more transparent and informed by practical experience.

Rationale: By incorporating diverse perspectives and real-world data, SIAG aims to help the Commission quickly identify and address issues such as disparities or unintended consequences arising from guideline changes. This approach ensures that sentencing reforms are practical, data-driven, and responsive to the needs of the justice system.

Support: The creation of the SIAG aligns with CPAC’s emphasis on stakeholder engagement and data-driven reform by ensuring that those directly affected by federal sentencing, including individuals and families, have a voice in shaping guidelines. This approach reflects CPAC’s broader advocacy for reforms supporting more effective and fair sentencing policies.

Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Research and Data Practices

Action: USSC is establishing a new Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Research and Data Practices and is seeking applications for membership from experts in criminal justice, academia, data science, law, and public policy. This group will evaluate USSC’s current research and data collection methods and recommend best practices to improve the quality, transparency, and utility of federal sentencing data.

Rationale: By enhancing how sentencing data is collected and analyzed, the advisory group will help ensure that policy decisions are informed by accurate and relevant information, allowing policymakers to identify what works and address disparities.

Support: CPAC strongly advocates for sentencing policies grounded in transparency, rigorous data analysis, and accountability. The establishment of USSC’s Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Research and Data Practices aligns with CPAC’s emphasis on incorporating wide-ranging expert input to ensure reforms are informed by accurate and meaningful data.

Conclusion

President Trump’s first 100 days have marked a decisive shift in federal criminal justice and law enforcement policy, characterized by the rapid reversal of Biden-era initiatives and the introduction of a new, assertive framework for policing and sentencing. Through executive orders, the administration has prioritized empowering law enforcement, restoring local agency autonomy, and increasing accountability for both offenders and ocials who obstruct police work. Simultaneously, major reforms to the federal sentencing guidelines and the creation of new advisory groups signal a commitment to modernizing the justice system, promoting fairness, and grounding policy in real-world data and expert input. Together, these sweeping changes will transform America’s criminal justice system, hopefully resulting in lasting impacts on law enforcement, the courts, and communities that future administrations will not dismantle.