Inside Kamala Harris's Plan To End Cash Bail and 'Transform The Criminal Justice System'

[Geee]

Free Beacon

The elimination of cash bail and court-ordered fines are just two ways Vice President Kamala Harris wants to "transform the criminal justice system" and "end mass incarceration," according to a memo from her failed 2020 presidential campaign.

 

The memo, which is no longer available on her campaign website, describes what would be the most dramatic overhaul of how the nation confronts criminality. The "guiding principles" listed by Harris include an "end [to] mandatory minimums."

Harris's proposals put a spotlight on her history as one of the most left-wing lawmakers in the Senate. They also offer a preview into how she could govern as president. On the campaign trail, Harris enthusiastically supported a number of left-wing criminal justice initiatives not outlined in her plan, such as slashing the budgets of police departments and allowing convicted murderers and rapists the right to vote in federal elections.

"It is long past time to re-envision public safety by strengthening and supporting our communities and drastically limiting the number of people we expose to our criminal justice system," the memo reads. "As president, Kamala will fundamentally transform how we approach public safety."

Harris's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The document lists several ways in which a President Harris would lower the nation's prison population. Ideas include an "end" to the "War on Drugs" and allow judges to issue "sentences below the mandatory minimums."

Felons who committed crimes that are "not serious" and have been out of prison for five years would see their criminal records automatically expunged under the Harris plan. Harris did not say what she considers a "not serious" felony. Cash bail, which Harris described as "criminalizing poverty," would also be eliminated.

Crime has increasingly become a top issue for voters as homicide rates spiked across the country in the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdowns. More than 60 percent of voters, according to a Pew Research Center survey, believe that "the criminal justice system in the United States is not tough enough on criminals." Just 13 percent say it is "too tough."

City governments that eliminated cash bail, such as in New York, have seen a backlash from voters. A number of high-profile cases have involved accused criminals who were released without detention and went on to commit heinous crimes while they awaited trial, leading to a rethinking of the practice.

[Valin]

Jul 23, 2024

 As we head into November’s election, voters consistently say that crime is a top issue. Sixty-three percent of Americans said that crime was “extremely or very serious” in the country, according to the annual Gallup survey released in November. And many people believe that the kind of initiatives pushed by advocates of criminal justice reform are to blame.

Nowhere is that debate more passionate than in San Francisco, a city where everything from shampoo to gum is under lock and key at Walgreens and signs hang in parked cars that read: “Please do not break into this car. No valuables here.” Fully fifty percent of stores in the city’s downtown have shuttered because of theft.

That’s why we convened Michael Shellenberger, Seneca Scott, Kmele Foster, and Lara Bazelon for a debate in front of a sold-out house.