The issue of criminal justice is critical, yet it sometimes takes a backseat in the media to other topics. Check out this list for all the current candidates' stance on criminal justice issues! All information is summarized directly from the candidates' websites.
Michael Bennet
- Implement sense gun laws
- Eliminate mass incarceration
- Address relationships between law enforcement and all communities they serve
- Provide naloxone to law enforcement
- Hold those behind the opioid epidemic criminally responsible
To learn more: https://michaelbennet.com/vision/
Joseph Biden
marcn / Flickr
- Explicitly addresses violence against women on his campaign website
- End the rape kit backlog
- Expand college campus requirements for gender-based violence prevention
- Enact individual firearm purchasing requirements (limit of one per month)
- Reduce incarceration and instead, focus on rehabilitation
To learn more: https://joebiden.com/joes-vision/
Michael Bloomberg
- Co Founder of Mayors Against Illegal Guns which merged with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America to establish Everytown for Gun Safety
- As Mayor, halved New York City murder rates
- Advocated for alternatives to juvenile incarceration
- Initiated undercover operations targeting illegal gun sales by private sellers
- Champions common sense gun policies
Cory Booker
- Decriminalize marijuana
- Eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent drug offenses
- Prohibit assault weapons, high capacity magazines, and bump stocks
- Increase funding for research on gun violence and community violence prevention programs
- Address racial bias within the justice system
To learn more: https://corybooker.com/issues/
Pete Buttigieg
Instagram: @buttigieg4prez
- Decrease youth incarceration
- Abolish the death penalty via constitutional amendment
- Establish a minimum age at which juveniles can be held criminally responsible
- Bolster the FBI and other law enforcement agencies' ability to counter domestic terrorist attacks
- Create a national system for gun licensing
To learn more: https://peteforamerica.com/
John Delaney
- Impose limitations on the implementation of solitary confinement in federal prisons
- Is against charging juveniles as adults and proposes alternative solutions for nonviolent juvenile offenders
- Eradicate the death penalty
- Proponent of a national extreme risk protection order (meaning those who believe someone may be an extreme risk can petition the court to limit that person's access to firearms)
- Provide funding for federal research on gun violence
To learn more: https://www.johndelaney.com/issues/
Tulsi Gabbard
- Start utilizing alternatives to jailing and imprisonment
- Cease the war on drugs
- Abolish cash bail
- Imposing a federal ban on assault weapons
- Maintain the second amendment, but while enacting common sense gun safety policies
To learn more: https://www.tulsi2020.com/issues
Amy Klobuchar
- Increasing the minimum age to purchase assault weapons from 18 to 21
- Ending the gun show loophole, requiring universal background checks
- Prevent the sale of guns to people who have abused an intimate partner
- Establish lynching as a federal hate crime
- Focus on addressing the causes of and law enforcement response to domestic terrorism and hate crimes
To learn more: https://amyklobuchar.com/policies/
Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick announced his bid last-minute. As of yet, he does not have an official website for his candidacy. Updates will be provided once more is known about this candidate's stance on criminal justice.
Bernie Sanders
- Abolish the death penalty
- Get rid of three strikes laws and mandatory minimum sentencing
- Cut national prison population in half
- End the war on drugs
- Reform juvenile justice
To learn more: https://berniesanders.com/issues/
Tom Steyer
- Take on probation and parole reform
- Increase community-based intervention resources
- Create workforce readiness programs for formerly-incarcerated people
- Establish an Office of Gun Safety
- "We Can End Gun Violence" plan which consists of universal background checks, red flag laws, and closing dangerous loopholes
To learn more: https://www.tomsteyer.com/policies/
Elizabeth Warren
- Implement of violence intervention programs for young people before law enforcement involvement
- Create a federal licensing system for firearms
- Prioritize addressing the issue of white nationalist violence
- Rely on a public safety, rather than a punitive approach, to fighting violence and crime
- Increase the amount of federal funds for the training of law enforcement officers
To learn more: https://elizabethwarren.com/plans
Marianne Williamson
- Focus on early interventions environmental causes of crime and tailoring services towards a community-based prevention
- Increase governmental support for families impacted by domestic violence through emergency housing and emotional support
- Fund bonding opportunities, such as workshops and retreats between at-risk youth and law enforcement
- Promote restorative justice solutions
- Provide more rehabilitation of incarcerated people and re-entry support for people leaving correctional facilities
To learn more: https://www.marianne2020.com/issues
Andrew Yang
- Reduce mass incarceration
- Legalize marijuana and decriminalize opioids
- Decrease pre trial cash bail
- Common sense licensing policy for guns
- Declares that as president he will mandate all law enforcement officers to wear body cameras
To learn more: https://www.yang2020.com/policies/
This article is intended to be an objective summary of presidential candidates' positions on matters of crime and criminal justice. This article is not an endorsement of any one particular candidate, nor their views. I encourage all readers to conduct further research and reach their own decisions, independently.
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