Crime & Punishment: Where Do the Candidates Stand on Criminal Reform

We are 9 months away before citizens will head to the polls to choose everything from senators to a President. 

The G.O.P have clearly thrown their hats, hearts and minds behind current President Donald Trump. The Democratic party is another story.

The Dems are still sifting through a number of candidates. A few we have seen before. Some we might have never heard of. All of them are running to be the Democratic candidate for President.

With so many people running, it would be good to get a sense on where they stand on certain topics. For us, criminal justice reform is a hot topic.

As we’ve seen from past administrations, zero tolerance laws and minimum sentencing requirements caused more harm than good. 

So, where do any of the Democratic candidates stand on criminal justice reform? From the death penalty to cash bail, let’s take a look at where these candidates stand.

Cash Bail

Joe Biden, Peter Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren have all called for an end to the cash bail system.

Former Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg has a tricky history when it comes to criminal justice.

The man who gave us stop-and-frisk, now proposes rewarding for jurisdictions that adopt risk assessment tools to give judges greater discretion.

Private Prisons

First emerging in the 1980’s thanks to President Reagan and the War on Drugs, the modern private prisons or for-profit prisons have been the source of controversy ever since over the treatment of inmates.

Since 2000, private prisons increased 39%.

In 2017, private prisons in the United States held more than 120,000 inmates making up 8% of the countries total prison population.

While private prisons boast of saving money for States, at what costs? Hiring less employees, doing less training and more cost saving measures can create toxic environment. So how do the candidates feel about private prisons?

Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard and Tom Steyer all agree that the private prison system needs to go.

Michael Bloomberg hasn’t made a stance about private prisons, but his use of prison workers says he might see another side of this argument.

Mandatory Minimum Sentencing

Mandatory minimum sentencing came about during the Clinton era. Since then, low-level drug dealers and users we’re put behind bars for years, helping to increase the numbers of inmates in the country.

With the country waged in new war on drugs, the mandatory minimum sentencing has come under scrutiny.

Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Tom Steyer have called for the elimination of all mandatory minimum requirements.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Mayor Pete Buttigieg think mandatory minimum sentences should be abolished for on nonviolent drug offenses and reduced.

Bloomberg’s only public statement differs from the other.

Capital Punishment

While all candidates seem to differ on many points, one they seem to all be in agreement is ending the death penalty. Even Bloomberg.

It’s set to be a long 9 months. Get comfortable.