2020 GA Senate race: on Crime
David Perdue:
Need police reform, but vast majority of cops are honorable
Q: Restrict police use of force and increase public oversight?Perdue: Mixed. "Do we need police reform? Absolutely. But the vast majority of police officers protect us honorably."
Ossoff: Yes. "We urgently need a New Civil Rights Act to establish national standards for use [of] force by American police!"
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
Jon Ossoff:
Establish national standards for use of force by police
Q: Restrict police use of force and increase public oversight?Ossoff: Yes. "We urgently need a New Civil Rights Act to establish national standards for use [of] force by American police!"
Perdue: Mixed. "Do we need police reform?
Absolutely. But the vast majority of police officers protect us honorably."
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
Shane Hazel:
Release all non-violent offenders; end drug war
Q: Do you think America and Georgia still struggle with systemic racism? What safeguards, if any, should be enacted to ensure people of color are not disproportionately afflicted by law enforcement, the criminal justice system, income inequality,
and other factors?A: Here is how we fix the broken criminal justice system:
- End the war on drugs
- End qualified immunity
- End police militarization
- End civil asset forfeiture
-
Release all nonviolent criminals
- Define "crime" as murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, coercion, theft, robbery, vandalism, and fraud
- Harbor police officers at the precinct where they
respond to those violent crimes listed above, as firefighters do for fires
- Lastly, we stop making criminals out of peaceful people
Source: Atlanta Magazine on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 27, 2020
Jon Ossoff:
Crimes under Trump: act prudently, but accountability
I think we have to be prudent and consider the long-term consequences and potential impact on desperately needed reconciliation if we're talking about going after a former president.
But executive branch officials cannot plead that they were just following orders. There has to be accountability.
Source: The Nation magazine on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 26, 2020
Jon Ossoff:
Demilitarize the police; ban private prisons
We need to rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement with a demilitarization of policing. We need national standards for the use of force. We need to reform America's drug laws so that we understand addiction and drug abuse as public
health problems, not criminal justice issues. We need to ban private prisons. I think it is shameful to profit from incarceration, and we need to raise the standards within American prisons to humane standards with prison reform.
Source: Atlanta magazine on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Oct 23, 2020
Jon Ossoff:
Reverse militarization of police; ban private prisons
Our approach to punishment must respect the human dignity of incarcerated people and recognize that except for the most dangerous violent criminals, successful re-entry to society after incarceration is crucial for both the convicted and the public.
I will champion and fight tirelessly to pass a New Civil Rights Act that strengthens civil rights laws and advances comprehensive criminal justice reform. Race and class disparities in policing, prosecution, and sentencing must be ended nationwide.
I will work to reverse the militarization of local police forces, enhance due process and human rights protections for all citizens, ban private prisons, end cash bail, reform prisons and raise conditions of
incarceration to humane standards, abolish the death penalty, legalize cannabis, and end incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses.
Source: 2020 Georgia Senate campaign website ElectJon.com
Jul 2, 2020
Jon Ossoff:
Don't defund the police; answer is to reform the police
No, the answer is not to defund police. The answer is to reform police. And the answer is to demilitarize police.
Far too many local police departments are heavily equipped with armored vehicles and military equipment, and when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Jun 16, 2020
Teresa Tomlinson:
End abuse of cash bail bonds & for-profit prisons
As the next United States Senator from Georgia, I will:- Support an end to the abuse of cash bail bonds across America. No one should serve a long jail sentence for nonviolent, minor offenses simply because they are unable to pay bail.
The criminalization of poverty is unacceptable.
- Support legislation that brings about an end to for-profit prisons.
- Support abolishment of the federal death penalty.
Source: 2020 Georgia Senate campaign website, TeresaTomlinson.com
Jan 12, 2020
Teresa Tomlinson:
Fund reentry programs and restore voting rights to ex-felons
As US Senator, I will:- Support increased federal funding for the successful reentry of those who have served their time and repaid their debt to society so as to reduce recidivism, enhance community and human assets and reduce the direct and
indirect cost of broadscale imprisonment. |
- Support full reinstatement of the right to vote to every prior felon who has repaid their debt to society.
- Support reform of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenses.
Source: 2020 Georgia Senate campaign website, TeresaTomlinson.com
Jan 12, 2020
Ted Terry:
Supports "civilian-led policing" board hiring, firing police
There is this model called civilian-led policing. I know it's still controversial, but I want to work toward it. The concept of any civilian-led board being in charge of hiring and firing of the police, to me, makes all the sense in the world, because
the police are the part of our government that interacts the most with ordinary civilians. I truly believe it creates a standard where the officers are even more accountable to the civilians that they're protecting.
Source: Under the Radar Mag on 2020 Georgia Senate race
Dec 19, 2019
David Perdue:
Supports expanding rights of crime victims
Perdue has been honored by Marsy's Law For Georgia for his support for expanding constitutional rights for victims of violent crimes. "After going through the trauma of a violent crime, victims and their families deserve to know if the accused attacker
has been released," said Senator Perdue. "Marsy's Law for Georgia is doing great work to raise awareness and ensure both victims and their families have a voice in our criminal justice system."
Source: Metro Atlanta CEO on 2020 Georgia Senate race
May 31, 2019
David Perdue:
Supported First Step Act with restrictions
Senator Perdue secured the following improvements to the First Step Act: - Removes the ability of judges to unilaterally make offenders with serious criminal records eligible for reduced sentences
- Ensures serious violent offenders cannot take advantage of time credits toward pre-release custody
Source: 2020 Georgia Senate campaign website peters.senate.gov
Dec 10, 2018
David Perdue:
Opposed Sentencing Reform Act as too lenient
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), unveiled improvements to the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, S. 2123. The measure is designed to reform federal sentencing policies, bring substantive
rehabilitative programming to federal prisons, address the growing costs of incarceration, and enhance public safety by focusing on reducing prisoners' risk of recidivism. [Perdue] called the Act a "criminal leniency bill."
"The bill's definition of what constitutes a 'serious violent felony' creates a loophole that would allow these serious felons to slip through the system," said
Perdue. "As currently written, this bill would put thousands of dangerous felons back on the streets early, potentially endangering our families and communities, and therefore I still cannot support it."
Source: GeorgiaPol.com OpEd on 2020 Georgia Senate race
May 2, 2016
Page last updated: Dec 10, 2020