One idea that all the Democratic presidential candidates unequivocally agree on is that the American criminal justice system currently isn’t working well at all. Prisons are bursting at the seams since harsh sentencing policies were implemented in the 80s and 90s, with little or no sign of crime rate decreases.
Naturally, each candidate has his or her own ideas about how to best reform the criminal justice system. The first Democratic debate was held in Las Vegas, Nevada just last week, on October 13, during which the candidates began volleying for their positions as well as public favor.
The two most talked about Democratic candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, thoroughly responded to questions about criminal justice reform on multiple occasions.
Buzzworthy independent candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) boldly spoke out about legalizing marijuana in Nevada, saying:
“I suspect I would vote yes. And I would vote yes because I am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed for nonviolent offenses. We have a criminal justice system that lets CEOs on Wall Street walk away and yet we are imprisoning or giving jail sentences to young people who are smoking marijuana. I think we have to think through this war on drugs, which has done an enormous amount of damage. We need to rethink our criminal justice system and we’ve got a lot of work to do in that area.”
Front-runner Hillary Clinton highlighted the criminal justice system problem of mass incarceration, and said we put too many people behind bars for simple drug offenses.
None of the candidates spoke against criminal justice reform or advocated for increasing the power of law enforcement authorities as a way to curb incarceration rates, as candidates have done in past presidential debates many times.
Criminal Justice Reform is a Key issue This Presidential Election
It’s refreshing to see the candidates take the criminal justice reform issue so seriously. Mass incarceration and unfair criminal sentencing policies are huge problems in the US that have been largely ignored for decades by presidential candidates. No matter what side of the political divide you’re on, it’s always a good thing when important issues are being thoughtfully discussed by some of our nation’s most powerful leaders, one of whom may become the most powerful American in 2016—the president of the United States.
Criminal Justice Reform and Your Case
Do you have a criminal case that could be affected by these changing political times? Perhaps it’s a drug possession, theft, or forgery case that could be affected by California’s monumental Proposition 47. Or maybe it’s a nuanced case that might benefit from recent political justice reforms, but it might not. No matter what your situation, you’ll benefit from having a criminal defense attorney who stays abreast of all the political developments, legislative measures, and all other events that could benefit his clients.
Schedule a free case evaluation with Dan Chambers of the Chambers Law Firm today to find out what Attorney Chambers can do for you. Call 714-760-4088, email dchambers@clfca.com, or use the chat box below.
No case is hopeless when you’ve got Attorney Chambers on your side!
Check back to this blog often to see more news about upcoming Republican and Democratic presidential debates, as well as criminal justice reform developments that could affect your case.
