Friends,
It was good to see so many of you at the DNC last week. The message we heard from Democrats, onstage and off, was about a future with more freedom: the freedom to have good housing, good healthcare, and a well-paying job. Freedom to send your kids to school without worrying about gun violence. Freedom to build a better future with your loved ones.
To us, and so many voters, freedom must also include freedom to be safe in our communities and freedom from mass incarceration and its many collateral consequences that stifle opportunity for too many American families.
Onstage at the DNC, I saw Ashley Biden lift up her work with formerly incarcerated women. I was moved by the Exonerated Five, and the contrast they painted between a more just future and one full of fear mongering and lies.
In this final election sprint there may be scant time for deep policy conversations, but voters should and likely will continue to ask questions about what they can expect from the candidates when it comes to their commitment to freedom secured through criminal justice reform. So, as voters and pundits dig in on the details, we thought we would lift up some of the reforms we think are worth bragging about.
The evidence and voters agree–more of this, please.
While we hope it’s just the beginning of what’s to come in future elections, the truth is that the Harris-Walz ticket has what is probably the strongest record on criminal justice reform of any prior major party presidential ticket. And far from being something to hide from or defend against, it’s something to celebrate. People across the country, across political parties, like these policies and want to see more. And the research is conclusive: these are the kind of changes that make our country stronger and safer.
✔ Win: Promoting accountability and growth for young people
One of Vice President Harris’ signature accomplishments as DA in San Francisco was an early diversion program for young adults charged with low-level drug offenses, Back on Track. The program showed early success, with less than 10% of its graduates recidivating compared to a statewide rate of more than 50% recidivism among people with drug convictions. The program helped pave the way to further young adult diversion in the city and across the country.
This kind of powerful evidence is why Minnesota lawmakers and Governor Walz created a state Office of Restorative practices last year, to hold young people accountable through community-based approaches that increase their chances of success. The understanding that kids should be treated as kids is also part of why Minnesota joined the wave of states ending the practice of sentencing young people to life without parole.
✔ Win: Treating drugs as a public health issue and decriminalizing marijuana
Vice President Harris has said it more than once: “nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.” That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration pardoned thousands of people for marijuana use and possession, and called on state Governors to do the same. That’s also why they called on the Justice Department to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. In Minnesota, Governor Walz signed a law legalizing and regulating recreational marijuana and expanded access to harm reduction services last year.
Research shows incarceration is ineffective in reducing drug use, drug arrests, or overdoses. In fact, incarceration increases the risk of overdose for those released. On the flip side: expanding access to Medicaid has been shown to reduce drug arrests by 25 to 41%.
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