Issues

The Person:

As a young, black man, I have interacted with the criminal justice system through personal experience. These interactions with law enforcement, both my own and those of my community, have given me insight into the areas that are working but also the areas that need to be improved in our criminal justice system. I believe that law enforcement plays an important and needed role in our society and there is certainly room for improvement in our criminal justice system with how law enforcement interacts with the community.

The Principle:

My faith leads me to believe that people should be held accountable for their actions (Romans 13:2-5). But my faith also leads me to believe that every human being can be restored and rehabilitated. 

The Problem:

The relationship between law enforcement and too many communities in our state is fractured. Many people in our society distrust law enforcement. This distrust does not just apply to police officers on the ground but to the system as a whole. 

Our country spends $80 billion on incarceration annually. A lot of these dollars are dedicated to non-violent offenders who either should not be serving time in prison as their punishment or have a sentence that does not match their crime. There is also low morale within law enforcement agencies around the state and throughout the nation, which can lead to poor performance. In 1994, law enforcement agencies were paid more money if they increased their prison population. This is a backward and broken way to think about the role of prisons in our societies.

The Policy Proposal:

I will support and advocate for legislation that addresses the systemic issues in our criminal justice system from a holistic perspective. I would like to see legislation that does the following: 

1. Provides funding for states that are able to reduce their prison population without an increase in crime

2. Supports local and state law enforcement agencies in establishing clear guidelines that help agencies focus on the most dangerous populations that commit violent crimes while encouraging rehabilitative practices for non-violent offenders 

3. Creates grants for organizations and businesses led by formerly incarcerated individuals.

4. Establishes programming to increase morale among local and state law enforcement agencies.

5. Bans Private Prisons that help corporations make money by having more people in prison.

6. Eliminate Immigrant Detention Quotas.