U.S. Senate Passes Sweeping Criminal Justice Reform Bill

The U.S. Senate passed a sweeping criminal justice reform bill Tuesday.

It's called the First Step Act, and it proposes some significant changes to the federal prison system. In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate passed the bill 87-12, with only 12 Republicans voting no.

Nancy Gertner, retired Massachusetts federal judge, senior lecturer at Harvard Law School and WBUR legal analyst. She tweets @ngertner.