I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3158 
To provide alternatives to incarceration for youth, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2015 
Ms. JACKSON LEE (for herself, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. BASS, Ms. BROWN of Flor-
ida, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. CLAY, Ms. CLARKE 
of New York, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. DANNY K. 
DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. 
HAHN, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. LEE, Ms. LOF-
GREN, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mr. RAN-
GEL, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. WILSON of 
Florida, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. PETERS, 
Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. AL 
GREEN of Texas, and Mr. CASTRO of Texas) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To provide alternatives to incarceration for youth, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reforming Alternatives 
to Incarceration and Sentencing to Establish a Better 
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Path for Youth Act of 2015’’ or the ‘‘RAISE Act of 
2015’’. 
SEC. 2. SAFETY VALVE FOR NONVIOLENT YOUTH. 
Section 3553 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) AUTHORITY TO IMPOSE A SENTENCE BELOW A 
STATUTORY MINIMUM FOR YOUTH.— 
‘‘(1) GENERAL
RULE.—Notwithstanding any 
provision of law other than this subsection, when 
sentencing a youth for a nonviolent offense, the 
court may impose a sentence below a statutory min-
imum if, after considering the factors set forth in 
subsection (a), the court finds— 
‘‘(A) substantial and compelling reasons on 
the record that, giving due regard to the nature 
of the crime, the history and characteristics of 
the youth, and the youth’s chances of successful 
rehabilitation, the mandatory minimum sen-
tence would result in substantial injustice to the 
youth; and 
‘‘(B) imposition of the mandatory min-
imum sentence is not necessary for the protec-
tion of the public. 
‘‘(2) COURT TO GIVE PARTIES NOTICE.—Before 
imposing a sentence under paragraph (1), the court 
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shall give the parties reasonable notice of the court’s 
intent to do so and an opportunity to respond. 
‘‘(3) STATEMENT IN WRITING OF FACTORS.— 
The court shall state, in the written statement of 
reasons, the factors under subsection (a) that re-
quire imposition of a sentence below the statutory 
minimum. 
‘‘(4) APPEAL RIGHTS NOT LIMITED.—This sub-
section does not limit any right to appeal that would 
otherwise exist in its absence. 
‘‘(5) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 
‘‘(A) the term ‘youth’ means an individual 
who was 21 years of age or younger at the time 
of the criminal offense for which the individual 
is being sentenced; and 
‘‘(B) the term ‘nonviolent offense’ means a 
Federal criminal offense that is not— 
‘‘(i) a crime of violence; or 
‘‘(ii) a sex offense (as that term is de-
fined in section 111 of the Sex Offender 
Registration and Notification Act).’’. 
SEC. 3. EARLY RELEASE AND HOME CONFINEMENT FOR 
YOUTH. 
Section 3624 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
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