More than 130 current and former police chiefs, sheriffs, attorneys general and leading prosecutors are joining the movement to reduce the country’s incarceration rate and reform how it treats offenders.
They’ve formed a new group called Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration, which released a report Wednesday stating that “too many people are behind bars that don’t belong there.” They are urging alternatives to mandatory minimum prison sentences, among other reforms.
The group includes the police chiefs of some of America’s largest cities, including New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, Houston, New Orleans and Los Angeles.
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The group touts itself as “130 members hailing from all 50 states, from all divisions of law enforcement, and from across the political spectrum.”
It’s significant that law enforcement officials, who have historically been among the most vocal opponents of reform, are now joining the movement to cut down on incarceration. In its own press release today, the group referred to itself as “a surprising new voice” for reform.
But these leaders now say that reducing incarceration levels is important because too many prisoners are simply being warehoused instead of receiving the treatment they need for drug or alcohol problems or mental health conditions. What’s more, they say, former prisoners need more help reintegrating into society after serving their sentences.
“With momentum for criminal justice reform accelerating, we want to leave no doubt where the law enforcement community stands,” the report states. “We need less incarceration, not more, to keep all Americans safe.”
The group said it will urge Congress and state legislatures to pass laws reclassifying some nonviolent felonies as misdemeanors and to shorten a criminal code that has grown from 3,000 to 5,000 crimes over the last few decades.
These law enforcement officials join a diverse and growing coalition of groups from across the political spectrum that’s calling for big changes to the criminal justice system.
The last three decades have seen a five-fold increase in America’s prison population, to 2.3 million, and a six-fold increase in the amount of money the government spends on prisons.
You can learn more about Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration here.
Daniel Allott is deputy commentary editor for the Washington Examiner.
