As with all our policies, search for evidence-based practices and hold criminal justice agencies to high, evidence-based standards.
Demand fair sentencing laws, to include the overzealous criminalization and incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders.
Appoint a bipartisan commission to comprehensively review and significantly revise the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act.
End laws like stop-and-frisk. It’s irrelevant if they are effective or not. They are in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Period.
Under no circumstance should the United States of America tolerate the federal death penalty. It is immoral, unconstitutional, and worthless as a deterrent to crime.
Require a review be granted (after a reasonable period of incarceration) for juveniles serving life-without-parole.
Fight hard against discriminatory voter laws that target Americans with felony convictions.
Clear out the severe backlog of – and then keep up with – DNA samples, which literally hold the keys to freedom for many.
Urge states that still have hair-trigger community supervision systems to reform their parole and probation systems.
Ensure a fair and equitable process for bail for nonviolent offenders, in compliance with the United States Constitution.
Provide expert legal guidance to state courts on the enforcement of fines and fees.
End the abuse of civil forfeiture. At a minimum, the burden of proof should be on the government to prove wrongdoing.
When a field of forensics or a particular expert is discredited, ensure every single person convicted by the flawed evidence gets a new trial.
Appoint a bipartisan independent board to evaluate clemency petitions, then make recommendations to the president.
Bring down the thunder on prisons where the conditions violate the Eighth Amendment.
Encourage states to repeal laws that suspend driver’s licenses as a penalty for not paying fines.
Ensure that prison labor is mutually beneficial for both the prison worker and the employer.