Harris unveils criminal justice plan that would end executions, cash bail
The Hill
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a 2020 White House hopeful, would end mandatory minimum sentencing, the death penalty and cash bails in an effort to create a criminal justice system focused on fairness and building safe communities, based on a plan released Monday.
Harris aims to end mass incarceration by shifting to a "crime reduction" policy that the campaign said puts "building safe and healthy communities at the center."
Her reform plan calls for ending mandatory minimum sentencing at the federal level and incentivizes states to do the same. It also ends the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity that has disproportionately impacted black Americans for decades.
Harris would also legalize marijuana at the federal level, as well as expunge those convictions, and would end federal bans preventing formerly incarcerated individuals from accessing public assistance programs.