Criminal Justice Reform: Do the Voters and the Candidates Align?
The United States has the highest prison population per capita. Nearly half of the prison population is serving a sentence for a nonviolent crimes. This issue has been on the minds of minorities in particular; blacks and hispanics are incarcerated at a greater rate than their white counterparts. The existing tension between police forces and their respective communities have only fueled the ongoing debate of what should be done to reform the criminal justice system and the community-police relationships in the United States. As a result, the 2016 presidential candidates have taken stances on the topic of criminal justice reform, advocating for a variety of measures, but are the candidates’ policies reflecting public opinion?
“The United States had the highest prison population rate in the world, at 716 per 100,000 people.”
-The Washington Post (April 2015)
There are discrepancies between what reforms are desired by the candidates, and what their potential voters want regarding criminal justice reform. Hillary Clinton’s proposed policy highlights the importance of rebuilding trust between police and the community, as stated in her website:
“We must work to strengthen the bonds of trust between our communities and our police, end the era of mass incarceration, and ensure a successful transition of individuals from prison to home.”
Clinton plans to support legislation that would combat racial profiling in the U.S, and help ease tensions between police and communities of color. Clinton’s proposals reflect the concern that “Excessive federal mandatory minimum sentences keep nonviolent drug offenders in prison for too long.” Clinton also plans to put an end to the private prison system, and create a program to help newly released criminals reenter the workforce.
Trump’s policy propositions show that he, like Clinton, sees criminal justice and police relations as pressing issues. Trump plans to weed out officers that may be unfit for the job, and wants to create better relationships between communities and police forces. He prioritizes creating respect for police forces. The use of the death penalty is also an issue that is seen as paramount by Trump. Similarly, Trump sees the treatment of criminals as an important issue to be addressed, and wants to create a tougher anti-crime policy, stating, “unless we stand up for tough anti-crime policies, they will be replaced by policies that emphasize criminals’ rights over those of ordinary citizens.” Trump does believe that the punishment of nonviolent crimes must be reformed, as “he doesn’t think kids should be thrown in jail for marijuana use.”
But how does this compare to what voters want?
Below is a compilation of voice interviews, gathering the perspectives of different faculty members within Mamaroneck High School, in Mamaroneck, New York.
On the whole, it is evident that this group believes that there must be some level of change to the criminal justice system. Some interviewees focus on the rights provided to those convicted of crimes, such as eliminating the reporting of prior crimes on job applications. Others chose to focus on the aspect of police-community relations, such as advocating for community policing. Overall, the responses show that when it comes to how we handle our country’s criminals, there is still much work to be done. The concern regarding how we prevent repeat offenses is backed up by facts: The Council of State Governments’ Justice Center states that “more than four in ten offenders returned to state prison within three years of their release.”
Additional interviews were conducted to gain more information on the aspects of criminal justice reform that were considered important to potential voters:
Rob Adams, a guidance counselor in Westchester County, believes that criminal justice reform should focus on how we train our police force. He believes that we do not do enough to select officers that are fit to handle situations where split-second decision making is crucial, and that we do not do enough to train officers to be sensitive to race, background, etc. He is also concerned about the use of private prisons, an issue mentioned by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
“We have to look at mandatory minimum sentences. We have to look at the privatization of prison systems, because a lot of the time it’s profit driven, and I think that’s a conflict of interest.”
Austin Edwards, a student at Lehigh University, believes that reform needs to come from both sides. He believes that the way police are treated needs to change, and how criminals and minorities are treated needs change as well. He feels that Trump misses the mark in how he portrays these issues, creating a “with us or against us” mentality.
“The stuff that [Trump] proposes is kind of decisive. He paints a clear picture of you’re either with law enforcement or you’re with the Black Lives Matter movement.”
The man pictured above, who chose to remain anonymous, believes that the candidates are missing the ball when it comes to discussing reform, because they focus too much on attacking each other. He feels that the constant mudslinging is leaving his voice, and the voices of other voters unheard.
Overall, Clinton’s propositions agree with the concerns expressed in the interviews above. In some respects, Clinton has prioritized some issues that were not seen as paramount in the interviews. Such issues include rehabilitating nonviolent drug offenders, and providing body cameras to police forces.
Trump’s proposed policies are mixed in how they agree with the interviewees. While issues such as the death penalty are seen as important by both parties, there are some discrepancies in how they want to see the issues addressed. Issues mentioned by Trump that were not mentioned by the interviewees include holding judges accountable for their rulings, and reintroducing the practice of “stop and frisk” on a nationwide level. In a town hall event, Trump claimed, “stop and frisk worked very well in New York. It brought the crime rate way down.”
As shown above, there are gaps between what voters want and what the candidates are proposing. This presidential election pits two white upper-class Americans against each other. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump must represent the interests of their potential voters, but in some regards they fail to do so. For example, Olivia Bridges advocates for disarming police, but Hillary Clinton wants to focus on implementing body cameras. Similarly, Donald Trump wants to create respect for police forces, but Robert Adams sees the issue from a training standpoint. Criminal justice is an issue that is seen as paramount by lower-class minorities, thus the success of our next president lies in how well they are able to understand the problems facing people that they don’t always relate to. It will be impossible for the next president to please all Americans, but losing touch with communities in need may prove disastrous.
