Prison Reform Leaders Ask Harris to Drop 'Tough on Crime' Rhetoric

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AUG 1 2024: Prison Reform Leaders Ask Harris to Drop 'Tough on Crime' Rhetoric

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AUG 1 2024

Image copyright: Montinique Monroe/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Imagesstory last updated AUG 4 2024

The Facts

Criminal justice reform advocates and leaders are urging US Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, to change her campaign rhetoric on crime and focus her platform on addressing mass incarceration, according to a letter reported on by The Hill.
Harris has been touting her record as an attorney general and prosecutor, framing November's election as a contest between a tough-on-crime prosecutor and a convicted felon — Republican nominee, former Pres. Donald Trump.
More than 160 leaders directly impacted by incarceration — including two executives of prominent criminal justice reform advocacy organizations — say that such language is harmful to Harris' campaign and marginalizes those impacted by the criminal justice system.

Sources

[1] The Hill [2] Guardian (a)[3] Commit2Reform [4] Guardian (b)

The Spin

Harris has a complicated record related to her time as a prosecutor and her stance on various issues related to criminal justice. She must clarify her position and commit to addressing the criminal justice system. Harris has said some positive things that reflect a more progressive outlook, however, she's hardly a stalwart on the issue. Hopefully, amid her current momentum, she will moderate her "tough on crime" main message to appeal to a wider swath of her party and the country.

The Marshall Project

Harris is a walking contradiction trying to appease the far-left while portraying herself as a "tough on crime" leader. But her track record shows that she aligns with failed liberal policies that open the prisons and create havoc in cities. She raised bail for rioters and has supported far-left initiatives that set dangerous felons free. America needs a president who's actually tough on crime.

Federalist