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Elizabeth Warren on Crime
Massachusetts Senator; former head of CFPB; Dem. Presidential Challenger
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Racist policing isn't one bad apple; it's structural
It's frequently argued that plenty of good people work in the criminal justice system. That's true, but it's also besides the point. Racist policing isn't a problem caused by one bad apple or even a dozen bad apples. It's a structural problem. A problem
that persists with the consistent racism in our country, which in turn feeds the way we pursue criminal justice. It's a broken system, and eliminating a few bad apples won't fix it.Some of these good people have reached out to me and others have said
racism is a problem in our police system or their prisons or their court rooms--and they want to see change.
But Boston's police union president didn't come to see me about a broken system. Officer rose had a very specific target in his sites; Black
Lives Matter. Under his leadership, his union had already published multiple articles about BLM in its bimonthly magazine, and now I was a target as well. The subtitle headline said "Warren embraces radical, Cop Hating Anarchists, Denounces police."
Source: Persist, by Elizabeth Warren, p.179
, May 4, 2021
Stop-and-frisk willfully targeted people of color
NYC Mayor Mike BLOOMBERG: I'm really embarrassed about was how it turned out with stop-and-frisk. Stop-and-frisk got out of control. And when I discovered that we were doing many, many, too many stop-and-frisks, we cut 95% of it out. I was trying to
understand how we change our policy so we can keep the city safe, because the crime rate did go from 650, 50% down to 300. But we cannot go out and stop people indiscriminately.WARREN: When the mayor says that he apologized, listen very closely to
the apology. The language he used is about how it turned out. No, this isn't about how it turned out. This is about what it was designed to do to begin with. It targeted communities of color. It targeted black and brown men from the beginning. And if
you want to issue a real apology, then the apology has to start with the intent of the plan as it was put together and the willful ignorance, day by day by day, shutting out the sounds of people telling you how your own policy was breaking their lives.
Source: MSNBC's 9th Democrat primary debate, in Las Vegas
, Feb 19, 2020
Need to rework the entire criminal justice system
It's important to own up to the fact that race has permeated our criminal justice system. For the exact same crimes, study after study shows that African Americans are more likely than whites to be detained, to be arrested, to be taken to trial,
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
, Feb 7, 2020
Criminal liability for corporate execs causing severe harm
Proposed expanded criminal liability, including jail time for
any executive "who negligently oversees a giant company causing severe harm to U.S. families."
Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020"
, May 8, 2019
Must get serious about gun control & background checks
One of the main ways that we could help make our police safer is to get serious about gun safety in this country. We need universal background checks. We need to take weapons of war off our city streets. Right now, we live in America where 7 children
and teenagers will die every single day, where the lives of officers are put at risk. We need as a country to step up, to be more responsible, to be willing to push back against the NRA and to put some sensible gun safety laws in place.
Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: 5 candidates back-to-back
, Apr 22, 2019
Criminal justice system is racist front to back
Elizabeth Warren delivered what she called "the hard truth about our criminal justice system: It's racist ... I mean front to back."While speaking at a historically black college, the Massachusetts senator identified some of the system's failures:
disproportionate arrests of African-Americans for petty drug possession; an overloaded public defender system; and state laws that keep convicted felons from voting even after their sentences are complete.
Warren was participating in a Q&A session
hosted by Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond at Dillard University in New Orleans. She was among several possible Democratic White House contenders who spoke at Netroots Nation, an annual conference for progressives.
Other than on
criminal justice, Warren did not focus her answers on race, offering her usual creed about bending public policy back toward working-class Americans. She called for support for unions, massive investments in infrastructure and more spending on education.
Source: Associated Press on 2018 Massachusetts Senate race
, Aug 4, 2018
Supports anti-gang, safe neighborhood initiatives
Elizabeth will support our first responders, the enforcement of tough gun laws to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals, and anti-trafficking efforts. Elizabeth supports community policing, anti-gang, and safe neighborhood initiatives because
she knows that good public safety happens when police, community leaders, clergy, district service providers, prosecutors and sheriffs work together. She supports substance abuse treatment programs that reduce recidivism and help people get jobs.
Source: 2016 Veepstakes: campaign website ElizabethWarren.com
, Jul 2, 2016
Unfair: Kid in trouble for petty theft; CEO steals billions
It's not equal justice when a kid gets thrown in jail for stealing a car, while a CEO gets a huge raise when his company steals billions. It's not equal justice when someone hooked on opioids gets locked up for buying pills on the street,
but bank executives get off scot-free for laundering nearly a billion dollars of drug cartel money." ÿWarren said it is time for Congress to pass criminal justice reform easing the severe sentences for nonviolent offenses.
Source: Huffington Post on 2016 Veepstakes: "Justice rigged"
, Feb 3, 2016
Advocates stiff punishment for corporate offenders
Warren insists that the bigger problem is a failure to "use the tools Congress has already provided to impose meaningful accountability on corporate offenders." She argues that bank regulators had the tools they needed to stop the 2008 financial crisis,
but chose not to. Despite multiple promises by President Obama's Department of Justice to stiffen enforcement of corporate misconduct, "Accountability has been shockingly weak."
Source: TheIntercept.com on 2016 Veepstakes
, Jan 29, 2016
Oppose death penalty but won't fight it for Marathon Bomber
Massachusetts Democrats, who also personally oppose the death penalty, straggled into line behind Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to seek the death penalty against the so-called Marathon bomber because of the targeting of an iconic event;
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.Senator Elizabeth Warren said she is against the death penalty but respects Holder's decision. Senator Ed Markey said he is against the death penalty, except "in the case of terrorism." Martha Coakley, Marty Walsh,
Juliette Kayyem, and Don Berwick similarly hedged.
There's a Democrat in the White House, and Massachusetts Democrats don't want to cross him or his AG. There's also the posturing aspect of Holder's decision: seeking the death penalty increases
the government's leverage to get a guilty verdict in return for life without parole. And to Massachusetts politicians, "Boston Strong" has come to mean looking tough to the nation on terrorism, not "squishy on crime."
Source: Joan Vennochi OpEd in Boston Globe on 2014 races
, Jan 31, 2014
First step: reduce recidivism & mass incarceration.
Warren voted YEA First Step Act
Congressional Summary:
- TITLE I--RECIDIVISM REDUCTION: establish a risk and needs assessment system to evaluate the recidivism risk of prisoners; to guide housing assignments; and to reward participation in recidivism reduction programs.
- TITLE II--BUREAU OF PRISONS SECURE FIREARMS STORAGE: allow federal correctional officers to securely store and carry concealed firearms on BOP premises outside the security perimeter of a prison.
- TITLE III--RESTRAINTS ON PREGNANT PRISONERS PROHIBITED: limits the use of restraints on federal prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery.
- TITLE IV--SENTENCING REFORM: reduces the enhanced mandatory minimum prison terms for certain repeat drug offenses.
Opposing press release from Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-1):: The reform sentencing laws in this bill may compromise the safety of our communities. Criminals convicted of violent crimes would have the opportunity to
achieve 'low risk' status and become eligible for early release. California already has similar laws in place--Propositions 47 and 57--which have hamstrung law enforcement and caused a significant uptick in crime.
Supporting press release from Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10):: S. 756 establishes a new system to reduce the risk that [federal prisoners] will commit crimes once they are released. Critically, S. 756 would not only implement these reforms to our prison system, but it also takes a crucial first step toward addressing grave concerns about our sentencing laws, which have for years fed a national crisis of mass incarceration. The bill is a 'first step' that demonstrates that we can work together to make the system fairer in ways that will also reduce crime and victimization.
Legislative outcome: Concurrence Passed Senate, 87-12-1, on Dec. 18, 2018; Concurrence Passed House 358-36-28, Dec. 20, 2018; President Trump signed, Dec. 21, 2018
Source: Congressional vote 18-S756 on Dec 20, 2018
Rated 64% by the NAPO, indicating a moderate stance on police issues.
Warren scores 64% by the NAPO on crime & police issues
Ratings by the National Association of Police Organizations indicate support or opposition to issues of importance to police and crime. The organization's self-description: "The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is a coalition of police units and associations from across the United States. NAPO was organized for the purpose of advancing the interests of America's law enforcement officers through legislative advocacy, political action, and education.
"Increasingly, the rights and interests of law enforcement officers have been the subject of legislative, executive, and judicial action in the nation’s capital. NAPO works to influence the course of national affairs where law enforcement interests are concerned. The following list includes examples of NAPO’s accomplishments:
- Enactment of the Fair Sentencing Act
- Enactment of the National AMBER Alert Act
- Enactment of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
- Enactment of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
- Enactment of the Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act (Right to Carry Legislation)
VoteMatch scoring for the NAPO ratings is as follows:
- 0%-50%: soft on crime and police issues;
- 50%-75%: mixed record on crime and police issues;
- 75%-100%: tough on crime and police issues.
Source: NAPO ratings on Congress and politicians 2014_NAPO on Dec 31, 2014
Page last updated: Aug 19, 2021