|
Hi there,
Whether you just signed up or have been with us since the beginning, we're glad you're here.
We know not everyone is as familiar with Justin's record as we are, so we're here to give you details on some of the key differences between him and the two other guys.
Let's look at criminal justice reform.
As more Americans have become aware of the costs of our massive, unjust criminal justice system, we're seeing more politicians supporting reforms on the campaign trail—but that's not enough to know where the candidate really stands on these issues.
For that, you have to look at the candidate's record.
Biden's and Trump's records on criminal justice demonstrate their belief in brutal, ineffective "tough on crime" measures.
In contrast, Justin has consistently opposed these kinds of unjust policies.
In Congress, Justin has opposed:
- Mandatory minimums
- Militarizing local police
- Civil asset forfeiture
- Expanding the death penalty
- Efforts to kill state-level bail reform
- New, unconstitutional federal crimes
- Empowering the attorney general to expand the drug war
And he's done more than simply vote against these policies. Justin has also prioritized criminal justice issues in picking his policy battles and legislative initiatives.
Even on little-noticed bills, Justin fought to organize against punitive policies that further entrench our broken system.
Now, compare that to the records of Biden and Trump.
In office, Trump has reversed limits on civil asset forfeiture, moved to resume federal executions after a 17-year hiatus, and lifted restrictions on transferring military equipment to state and local police departments.
Trump has chosen attorneys general that follow the disastrous "tough on crime" philosophy, including encouraging prosecutors to seek harsh penalties, reversing policies that discourage federal marijuana prosecutions in states where marijuana is legal, and attacking local prosecutors for seeking meaningful criminal justice reforms.
Biden's record is similarly appalling.
In the Senate, Biden supported—and was often instrumental in writing—many of the bills that created, restored, and bolstered punitive criminal justice policies at the federal level.
Biden was one of the key members of Congress helping to build up the federal drug war, including through his 1994 crime bill. As noted by a 2014 article in Vanity Fair:
Biden was the author of the 1994 crime bill, which vastly increased the numbers of police on the streets, eliminated Pell grant access for prisoners, expanded the death penalty, and strongly increased Border Patrol presence. This criminalization and militarization of Americans’ public-safety concerns has continued under President Obama. As Radley Balko writes, the Obama administration has increased the budget for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and Byrne grants, both of which finance local police departments in their efforts to wage heavy-handed drug and crime war operations.
Even today, Biden refuses to fully account for his mistakes. And he continues to hold backwards views on criminal justice policy, like opposing the legalization of marijuana.
The results are clear:
Justin is the only candidate we can trust to fight for real changes to the criminal justice system.
You can help stop these other guys and support our fight for a brighter, freer future by donating now.
|
|
