Dear John,

Did you know your state-level elected officials can do a lot to end mass incarceration and shrink the criminal legal system? State legislators, along with governors, can have the greatest impact on shrinking the criminal legal system and mitigating its harms.

Want to know something wild? Young people, ages 18-35, make up 30% of the population, yet represent 60% of adult arrests and 42% of adult prison admissions.

Worse, the consequences of an arrest or conviction can create lifelong barriers to accessing education, housing, and equitable employment opportunities—so mistakes at 18 can haunt people for the rest of their lives. The impacts of this fall hardest on Black and Latinx communities and it has had a devastating impact on their long-term safety and stability.

Most state elections are over and officials are getting primed to move forward on their priorities. So now is the time for us to act and get our demands in front of legislators. Your state officials control a large portion of what causes mass incarceration PLUS they can determine how the criminal legal system operates.

Demand that your state legislators end mandatory minimums, end the overuse of probation and parole, end cash bail, and end life without parole sentences. Urge your lawmakers to take these steps to create a more equitable society.

Tell lawmakers they have a responsibility to shrink the criminal legal system. Tell them you’re watching and waiting for their commitment to ending the harms of the criminal legal system.
 

Thank you,

Hassen Bashir
Organizing Associate
Generation Progress