people of color, while powder cocaine is more expensive with predominantly white users. Though these polices were facially neutral, there was tremendous desperate impact across races. Over the past decade, we have made some improvements to the crack-powder disparity, but it still exists. Policy makers must be more thoughtful about how their polices affect different communities. We also struggle with over policing in communities of color. Marijuana provides a good example of this issue. While both Black Americans and White Americans use marijuana at roughly the same rate, Black Americans are four times as likely to be arrested for a marijuana violation. This unequal enforcement is a major reason why I have fought for marijuana legalization for the past four decades. Marijuana is not as harmful as heroin and LSD, other drugs also on Controlled Substances Act’s Schedule I. The severe sentences for misuse of Schedule I drugs, coupled with unequal enforcement, means that marijuana is disproportionately incarcerating Black Americans. Having respect for minority communities in our policy making requires us to take these disparate impacts into account and work to reduce them. Third, I believe we should expand how we think about law enforcement. We need to invest in successful prevention programs to help reduce crime and ease the transition back into society for those who have served their sentence. Many who have fulfilled their debts to society still suffer the long-term collateral consequences of conviction and incarceration. It is harder to find a job and rent a home with a criminal conviction on one’s record. To confront this problem, I have introduced
the Fresh Start Act. This bill would allow for records to be expunged after seven years. Similarly, I authored the Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act which would allow ex-offenders, who are about to be released, to apply for SNAP and TANF benefits to help with their transition. Those who successfully reenter society are much less likely to reoffend, and that is good for everyone. Last, our politics has warped our responses to many issues. We need to reinvest in social and community services that can better address the issues. We need social workers who have training in how to work with people in difficult circumstances to help tackle homelessness, for example. We need people trained to work with those suffering from addiction to help tackle drug abuse. Not every issue is a criminal justice issue, and we need to use more of our tools. This will help take pressure off law enforcement and allow them to do what they are trained to do. For decades, I have advocated for criminal justice reform so that law enforcement could better serve and protect our communities. Throughout that time, I have met with families and learned about many of those killed by police, including Steven Askew and Darrius Stewart in Memphis. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act sends an important signal that a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives is ready to directly confront these issues. That bill would make crucial improvements, but still more will need to be done to truly reform our criminal justice system and ensure that every American is offered Equal Justice Under Law.
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