Survey of 2016 Presidential campaign websites: on Crime
Ajamu Baraka:
Death penalty for whites is tactic to stop black opposition
When Loretta Lynch, the African American Attorney General, announced that the state would pursue a death sentence against Dylann Roof (the White nationalist who murdered nine African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina), some in the African American
community applauded the decision as an appropriate response that would lead to something they defined as "justice." However, for many other African Americans, justice for a racialized people is an impossibility in a colonial state in which racial and
class dominance, violence, and systemic de-humanization represents its internal logic and core values. The decision by the DOJ to pursue a death sentence for Roof should be seen as no more than another tactical move: by appealing to
African Americans, the group in the country most consistently opposed to the death penalty, state propagandists saw this as a perfect opportunity to undermine opposition to capital punishment and facilitate the process of psychological incorporation.
Source: 2016 vice-presidential campaign website, AjamuBaraka.com
Jun 26, 2016
Gary Johnson:
Too many unnecessary laws leads to too many in prison
How is it that the land of the free has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world? The answer is simple: Over time, the politicians have "criminalized" far too many aspects of people's personal lives.The failed War on Drugs is, of course,
the greatest example. More generally, mandatory minimum sentences for a wide range of offenses and other efforts by politicians to be "tough" have removed far too much common-sense discretion from judges and prosecutors.
These factors, combined with
the simple fact that we have too many unnecessary laws, have produced a society with too many people in our prisons and jails, too many undeserving individuals saddled with criminal records, and a seriously frayed relationship between law enforcement and
those they serve.
Fortunately, a growing number of state governments are taking steps toward meaningful criminal justice reform. The federal government must do the same, and Johnson is committed to bringing real leadership to this long-overdue effort.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website GaryJohnson2016.com
Jan 11, 2016
Lawrence Lessig:
Comprehensive reform of mandatory minimum sentences
Almost every problem that we see in the criminal justice system flows from the core inequality that we've allowed to grow within our society. The laws are harshest against the most politically disempowered (the poor); they are unenforced against the most
politically empowered (Wall Street). And a bizarre and misguided policy of conservative Supreme Court justices to grant an expanding immunity to government officials who break the law has removed the only effective check on rogue police departments
and federal agents.As President, I would press for comprehensive reform of mandatory minimum sentences. We send people to prison for way too long, and when they get out, too many have no choice but to return to crime.
I would also direct the Justice Department to prosecute white collar crimes through penalties imposed on people first. Corporations are not people.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website Lessig2016.us, `Issues`
Oct 29, 2015
Martin O`Malley:
Baltimore riot due to hopelessness, not just race & policing
Last month, television sets around the world were filled with the anger and the rage, and the flames of some of the humblest and hardest hit neighborhoods of Baltimore. For all of us who have given so much of our energies to making our city a safer,
fairer, more just and more prosperous place, it was a heartbreaking night in the life of our City.But there is something to be learned from that night, and there is something to be offered to our country from those flames. For what took place here was
not only about race... not only about policing in America.
It's about everything it is supposed to mean to be an American. The scourge of hopelessness that happened to ignite here that evening, transcends race or geography.
The hard truth of our
shared reality is this: Unemployment in many American cities and in many small towns across the United States is higher now than it was eight years ago. Conditions of extreme and growing poverty, create conditions for extreme violence.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website, MartinOMalley.com
May 30, 2015
Rand Paul:
REDEEM Act: seal non-violent criminal records to allow jobs
Since taking office, I have found that one of the biggest impediments to finding a job is a criminal record. Upon examining our nation's criminal justice system, I found that the system is in desperate need of reform.I have worked across the aisle to
reform the system with the REDEEM Act, which creates a judicial process for adults to seal non-violent criminal records on the federal level. It also creates an automatic expungement of records for non-violent juveniles under the age of 15.
It mandates the FBI to update their criminal background check system to ensure that employers receive accurate information. States are incentivized to have substantially similar legislation on the state level or risk losing appropriations for law enforce
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website, RandPaul.com, "Issues"
Apr 7, 2015
Rand Paul:
Restore federal right to vote to non-violent felons
I have worked across the aisle to reform the system with various pieces of legislation including:- Justice Safety Valve Act: Judges can depart from mandatory minimum sentencing laws if they find that it is in the best interests of justice to do so.
This would increase judicial discretion and allow judges to make individualized determinations about the proper punishment for defendants.
-
Civil Rights Voting Restoration Act: If passed, this would restore the voting rights of every non-violent felon in the country. Non-violent felons would be able to vote in federal elections only and states that do not change their laws to reflect this
would not receive federal prison funds.
- RESET Act: This bill re-classifies simple possession of controlled substances--very small amounts--as a misdemeanor rather than a low-level felony. It also eliminates the crack-cocaine disparity.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website, RandPaul.com, "Issues"
Apr 7, 2015
Jill Stein:
Black Lives Matter: end racism & police militarization
The demand for deep change has grown to a fevered pitch. Young people are leading the courageous Black Lives Matter movement to end police militarization and racist violence, and calling for an end to the extrajudicial murders of so many
African American children and parents--like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and more. The fight is building against predatory mass incarceration, that holds one in three African American men hostage to our vast prison state.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website, Jill2016.com, "Announce"
Feb 6, 2015
Page last updated: Dec 09, 2018