Barlet is back to being Bartlet — and this time he’s taking on mandatory minimums and prison reform.
On Tuesday, Brave New Films’ YouTube channel released a PSA where actor Martin Sheen is reprising his role of President Josiah Bartlet, the fictional president from the NBC hit The West Wing, and is pushing Congress to pass the Smarter Sentencing Act.
“Congress is considering sentencing reform that would change how our system uses mandatory minimums,” Sheen says in the video. “A basic principle of justice is that the punishment should fit the crime. Mandatory minimums undermine that principle by forcing judges to ignore individual circumstances”
Sheen’s appearance in President Bartlet has a message for Congress harkens loyal fans back to season 1 of The West Wing where President Bartlet took up a similar issue during the episode “Mandatory Minimums.”
“It’s time for elected officials to focus on solutions like flexible sentencing guidelines,” Sheen says at the end of the video. “Our goal must be a justice system that avoids unnecessary incarceration and irresponsible spending. Tell Congress to pass the Smarter Sentencing Act.”
Abby Borovitz