Quick Hit:

A memo from Vice President Kamala Harris's 2020 presidential campaign outlines a radical approach to reforming the criminal justice system, including ending cash bail and mandatory minimum sentences.

Key Details:

• Vice President Kamala Harris's 2020 campaign memo proposes ending cash bail, mandatory minimum sentences, and court-ordered fines as part of a comprehensive criminal justice reform plan.

• Harris's proposals emphasize reducing the nation's prison population and re-envisioning public safety by limiting the number of people exposed to the criminal justice system.

• Her campaign also advocated for slashing police budgets, granting voting rights to convicted felons, and eliminating juvenile incarceration for most offenses.

Diving Deeper:

According to a report from the Free Beacon, a memo from Vice President Kamala Harris's unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign unveils her plan to "transform the criminal justice system" and "end mass incarceration." The memo, which is no longer available on her campaign website, lays out what would be a significant shift in the United States' approach to criminality. Harris's "guiding principles" include ending mandatory minimums and abolishing cash bail, which she described as "criminalizing poverty."

Harris's proposed policies highlight her tenure as one of the most progressive lawmakers in the Senate and offer insight into how she might govern as president. On the campaign trail, Harris supported various left-wing criminal justice initiatives not outlined in her plan, such as reducing police department budgets and allowing convicted felons, including murderers and rapists, 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."

The document lists several measures a President Harris would take to reduce the nation's prison population, including ending the "War on Drugs" and allowing judges to issue sentences below mandatory minimums. Under her plan, felons convicted of "not serious" crimes who have been out of prison for five years would have their criminal records automatically expunged. However, the memo does not specify what constitutes a "not serious" felony.

Harris also proposed eliminating court-ordered fines and penalties, such as suspending driver's licenses for nonpayment, which she argued hinder individuals' reintegration into society. For those on probation, Harris suggested shortening their sentences and using federal funds to support these changes. She also advocated for ending jail time for technical violations of community-based supervision and investing in states to promote restorative justice programs and wrap-around services for juveniles, except in the most severe cases.

The memo calls for banning solitary confinement and the death penalty and emphasizes the need to hire a diverse and qualified workforce within the criminal justice system. Harris's plan also supports limiting police officers' use of lethal force and creating a National Police Systems Review Board to oversee police shootings and severe misconduct cases. 

“Kamala Harris” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED.