Posts in 2020 Election
Bloomberg announces criminal justice proposals aimed at cutting incarceration rates in half

““I'm running for president to fix our country's most difficult problems -- including ending the era of mass incarceration, which has needlessly destroyed millions of lives,” Bloomberg said in the release. “The initiatives we announced today will be an important first step toward building a fairer, better country.” Bloomberg’s plan would implement a national initiative to cut the number of incarcerated youths in half by the end of his first term and put in place federal grants to fund alternative placement programs and risk-assessment tools to limit the number of detained youths waiting for trial. About 53,000 youths are incarcerated away from home, according to the release.“

The Hill

December 3, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesThe Hill, Michael BloombergComment
Democratic Candidates Face Questions Seldom Heard On Campaign Trail

“Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Tom Steyer faced criminal justice questions Monday that are seldom mentioned on the campaign trail, including sentencing reform for people convicted of violent crimes, civil rights for those coming out of prison and restorative justice, during the nation’s first candidate town hall organized by formerly incarcerated people.“

The Marshall Project

October 28, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesThe Marshall Project, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Tom SteyerComment
In Third Debate, Democratic Presidential Candidates Condemn Mass Incarceration without Naming its Main Driver

“Even with overwhelming and bipartisan support for incarcerating fewer people overall, releasing prisoners convicted of murder, assault, and other violent offenses continues to be a third rail issue in presidential politics, says Howard Henderson, founding director of the Center for Justice Research at Texas Southern University, the historically Black college that hosted the debate. “It’s not yet politically safe to discuss the violent crime issue because so much of the public is still focused on the idea of retribution in that space,” he said.”

The Appeal

September 13, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesThe Appeal, Democratic PartyComment
Don’t Be Fooled — Kamala Harris’s “Criminal Justice” Plan Is Not Progressive

“Harris, of course, is the former attorney general of California and has pitched her campaign on the foundation of her background as a prosecutor. Her pseudo-populist campaign slogan, “For the People,” is in fact a reference to the standard judicial language to describe prosecutors in a criminal trial. Harris is the “tough” and “fearless” fighter who says she wants to “prosecute the case” against Trump. In short, Harris is not so much running for president as suing for the job.“

Truth Out Magazine

September 10, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesTruth Out Magazine, Kamala HarrisComment
How 2020 Democrats want to overhaul criminal justice laws

“The proposals illustrate the influence of black voters in the primary and reflect Democrats’ refusal to cede any ground with them to President Donald Trump, who has also sought to highlight his efforts to change the justice system. The ideas from Democrats range from ending requirements that bail be paid in cash — which opponents decry as a driver of unnecessary incarceration — to an end to the federal death penalty, which Trump recently reinstated.“

Washington Post

September 10, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesWashington PostComment
The 2020 Candidates Still Won’t Talk About The Main Cause Of Mass Incarceration

“Experts interviewed by HuffPost warned that meaningful reform requires changing how the U.S. punishes violent crime, not just ending the war on drugs. They also cautioned that drawing a hard line between violent and nonviolent crime, as some candidates have done on the campaign trail, obscures a more complicated reality.“

Huffington Post

September 9, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesHuffington Post, ViolenceComment
Elizabeth Warren’s criminal justice reform plan, explained

“t includes many of the policies that have become mainstays in Democratic criminal justice reform plans. She targets long prison sentences, mandatory minimums, cash bail, and drug policies focused on incarceration over addiction treatment. She argues more broadly against criminalizing homelessness, poverty, and mental health problems. She also calls for repealing the 1994 crime law, which has become a bogeyman for mass incarceration among progressives (in large part because Democrats, particularly Biden, supported it when it passed).“

Vox

August 20, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesVox, Elizabeth WarrenComment
The Criminal Justice Debate Has Changed Drastically. Here’s Why.

“Until recently, such ideas were considered so radical in the United States that they would have been immediately dismissed even among reform-minded lawmakers. But they are now being instituted or seriously considered in cities and states across the nation. Experts say the changing debate reflects a seismic shift in how the American public views criminal justice issues.“

New York Times

August 20, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesNew York TimesComment
Bernie Sanders’s criminal justice reform plan, explained

“Sanders’s plan is aiming for sweeping change: It’s an attempt to address the long list of complaints and criticisms raised against America’s criminal justice system for decades. Sanders also sets out a pretty ambitious goal “of cutting the incarcerated population in half.” The Sanders campaign said this is not just for the federal level, but the state level too.“

Vox

August 19, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesVox, Bernie SandersComment
What Democrats Get Wrong About Prison Reform

“But in their rush to sound strong on criminal justice reform, the candidates left out one important fact. Drug crime is not what’s driving the high prison population in the United States. It’s crimes of violence. And this omission has consequences. It means that any “solution” is unlikely to achieve its intended goal and in the meantime society will continue to suffer long-term damage—physical, psychological and economic—from a persistent cycle of unaddressed violent crime.“

Politico

August 14, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesPolitico, John PfaffComment
Beyond One-Liners: A Guide to the Democratic Debate on Criminal Justice

“Wednesday night’s debate saw the first extended discussion of criminal justice issues as the Democratic presidential candidates jockey in a crowded and competitive field. Several candidates teed off those issues to score political points and jab at opponents. While their exchanges covered a wide range of topics, there were also critical issues that no one even mentioned. Here’s a guide, curated by our experts here at The Marshall Project, to what’s behind the one-liners and talking points—and what was left out. We include suggestions for further reading for those who want to delve deeper.“

The Marshall Project

August 1, 2019

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2020 Election, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesThe Marshall ProjectComment
Everything You Don’t Know About Mass Incarceration

“This Democratic unanimity makes sense in light of the criticism that many of the leading candidates have faced from activists, left-wing media, and other, more “woke,” presidential hopefuls for their earlier acceptance, or even endorsement, of proactive policing, quality-of-life enforcement, and incarceration as reasonable methods of combating crime.“

City Journal

July 22, 2019

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2020 Election, Mass IncarcerationPhillip ReevesCity Journal, Democratic PartyComment
Left and Right Agree on Criminal Justice: They Were Both Wrong Before

“If the messages were similar, the messengers were far from it. The first was Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, a Democratic candidate for president. The second was Mark Holden, a senior vice president of the company owned by Charles G. and David H. Koch, who have spent hundreds of millions of dollars promoting conservative causes. And if the report showed one thing, it was this: There is a new bipartisan consensus on criminal justice, and it is that the old consensus was wrong.“

The New York Times

May 16, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesNew York TimesComment
2020 Candidate Amy Klobuchar Pushes Bill to Fund Police

“Now a presidential candidate, Klobuchar has received her fair share of flack for her history as an aggressive prosecutor. She has tried to counter that in part by rolling out a plan that would allow the release of incarcerated people through the creation of a clemency advisory board and the installation of a presidential adviser to advocate for reform from within the White House.“

The Intercept

May 14, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesThe Intercept, Amy Klobuchar, COPSComment
Amy Klobuchar has a plan to reverse the war on drugs — and doesn’t need Congress to do it

“Klobuchar’s plan would tap into one of the president’s few nearly absolute powers: the ability to grant pardons and commutations to any federal prison inmate. This is the power that President Donald Trump used last year when, after meeting with Kim Kardashian West, he commuted the life sentence of Alice Johnson, a great-grandmother in prison for drug trafficking. It’s the power that Trump has reportedly considered for former staff caught in the Russia investigation. And now Klobuchar wants to use that power, much as President Barack Obama did toward the end of his term, to roll back mass incarceration and the war on drugs.“

Vox

April 30, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesVox, Amy KlobucharComment
Klobuchar: On criminal justice reform, it's time for a second step

“Our criminal justice system cannot lose sight of the principles of fairness and compassion -- for victims, yes, but also for offenders. Our Founding Fathers understood this point when they gave the president the power to grant clemency, such as the one Obama granted Josephine. As president, I would create a clemency advisory board as well as a position in the White House -- outside of the Department of Justice -- that advises the president from a criminal justice reform perspective.“

CNN

April 5, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesCNN, Amy Klobuchar, ClemencyComment
2020 Candidates Think Criminal Justice Reform Is Key, But Their Plans Diverge From There

“In order to differentiate among the 2020 candidates, it's sometimes helpful to compare their stance on various issues. In fact, if you're looking for some insight into what 2020 candidates think about criminal justice reform, this list will give you an idea of how they have approached the issue. Generally, it seems that most candidates believe that criminal justice reform is a necessity, but they differ in the reform issues that they have prioritized.“

Bustle

March 5, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesBustleComment
‘Progressive Prosecutor’: Can Kamala Harris Square the Circle?

“Now Ms. Harris is running for president as a “progressive prosecutor.” She says she sees no contradiction in the term, arguing that a tough prosecutor can also be a force for reforming the criminal-justice system. But already, mere weeks into her candidacy, she is facing a chorus of skepticism, especially from the left. The death penalty episode shows the tricky crosscurrents that she has had to weather — and that are likely to intensify as she tries to square that circle.“

New York Times

February 11, 2019

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2020 ElectionPhillip ReevesNew York Times, Kamala HarrisComment