- Sen. Elizabeth Warren has unveiled her new criminal justice reform plan.
- Sen. Warren’s new plan will take down a majority of the 1994 crime bill.
- Sen. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have shown their support of this bill in the past.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Sen. Elizabeth Warren has unveiled her new criminal justice reform bill.
Taking On 1994 Crime Bill
The new criminal justice reform plan from Sen. Warren is aiming to do quite a lot. The main part of her proposal is repealing a majority of the 1994 crime bill.
“The 1994 crime bill exacerbated incarceration rates in this country, punishing people more severely for even minor infractions, and limiting discretion in charging and sentencing in our judicial system. That punitive “tough on crime” approach was wrong, it was a mistake, and it needs to be repealed. There are some sections of the law, like those relating to domestic violence, that should be retained — but the bulk of the law must go,” said Sen. Warren.
One of the ways that she will cut part of the 1994 crime bill is to get rid of mandatory minimum sentences. A mandatory minimum is something that requires judges to sentence someone to jail. For example, if someone is caught with a certain amount of drugs, judges must give them jail time. This can be anywhere from five to ten years or more. Sen. Warren said that mandatory minimums increased mass incarceration around the country.
Without mentioning his name, Sen. Warren takes aim at Joe Biden with her new plan. Biden has defended the 1994 crime bill that he helped write in the past. Biden even went on to say that the 1994 crime bill did not contribute to mass incarceration.
But Biden has taken a second look at his previous stance. Biden is now interested in repealing certain parts of the 1994 crime bill. He wants to get rid of portions such as mandatory minimums and the death penalty.
Decriminalizing Truancy
Sen. Warren is not just aiming at Joe Biden with her new plan. Sen. Warren’s new plan also takes a shot at Sen. Kamala Harris’s past as well. Sen. Warren said that she wants to decriminalize school truancy. School truancy is an unexcused absence from school. Some states have laws where truant students can end up in juvenile detention. Parents may receive jail time as well.
“We should decriminalize truancy and instead increase the number of school mental health personnel and provide schools with resources to train teachers and administrators in positive behavioral interventions, trauma-informed alternative discipline practices, and implicit bias to limit suspensions, expulsions, and minor-infraction arrests,” said Sen. Warren.
A video appeared in January where Sen. Harris is seen defending criminalizing truancy. She is seen laughing about how her position could send parents of truant students to jail.
Sen. Harris has since walked back on her past position about criminalizing truancy. Sen. Harris said that she is upset how some District Attorneys have criminalized parents for truancy. Sen. Harris said that criminalizing parents was never her intention. This did not help her election odds.
A new CNN poll has shown that Sen. Harris has fallen out of favor with voters. She is only polling at five percent while the previous CNN poll had her at 17 percent. This could be because voters are taking a second look at her record.
Without even mentioning their names, Sen. Warren has taken shots at both Biden and Sen. Harris. Sen. Warren’s new criminal justice reform plan is aiming to take on past views of these two candidates. Sen. Warren is wanting to completely reform the criminal justice system. Unveiling this new plan could increase her election odds as well as take down Biden’s and Sen. Harris’.