Former Vice President Joe Biden rolled out a criminal justice reform plan Tuesday, offering several proposals that distance him from the 1994 crime bill he sponsored.
When the then-Senate Judiciary Committee chairman pushed the bill, signed by President Bill Clinton, the crack-cocaine epidemic was rampant. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle sought to fix the issue by passing tough-on-crime provisions to alleviate the matter. This included strict sentencing measures on drug-related crimes.
Presently, not only does Biden want to abolish the federal death penalty, he also wants to eradicate mandatory minimums, end the federal crack and powder cocaine disparity, decriminalize the use of cannabis and automatically expunge all prior cannabis use convictions, cease all incarceration for drug use alone, and divert individuals to drug courts and treatment instead.
Fraternal Order of Police President Chuck Canterbury told the Washington Examiner Tuesday he has not come to any conclusion on Biden’s proposal, but he did note that the crack cocaine disparities “were dealt with years ago in sentencing reform” legislation on Capitol Hill. Also, the FOP has a standing motion that the organization does not support the legalization of cannabis.
Additionally, Biden wants to use the president’s clemency power to secure the release of individuals facing unduly long sentences for certain nonviolent and drug crimes. The campaign argues this will lower federal spending on incarceration and any extra money saved should be “reinvested in the communities impacted by mass incarceration.”
“[Each case] will have to be looked at individually because what some people call violent crime other people don’t. They need to be much better defined. You got to take into consideration plea bargains, where somebody is convicted or charged with a violent felony and they plea down to a lesser included charge — still a violent felon. So you have to be very careful with that,” Canterbury said.
The former vice president seeks to create a $20 billion competitive grant program to urge states, cities, and local municipalities to implement his criminal justice reform-related initiatives.
His new proposal, according to his campaign, is “inspired” by the Brennan Center, and as a requirement to receive the funding, states would have to abolish mandatory minimums for nonviolent crimes, institute earned credit programs, and take other steps to reduce incarceration rates without impacting public safety.
The Biden initiative would also federally fund pre-kindergarten to every three- and four-year old in the country by tripling funding for Title I. The campaign claims, “This will eliminate the funding gap between white and non-white districts, and rich and poor districts. Biden will also make sure every high school student graduates with either advanced credits or an industry credential in their pocket. And, he’ll make community college free for all qualified students.”
Biden will make a formal announcement of his plan in New Orleans Tuesday afternoon.
