Issue Position: Criminal Justice Reform

Issue Position

For too long, we have focused far too much on punishing for punishment's sake instead of focusing on the root causes of criminal behavior. As your representative, I will fight to make our district safer by reducing racial profiling, increasing investment in rehabilitation, and ending lengthy prison sentences for minor crimes.

In the legislature, I was proud to support criminal justice reform measures and I fought against mandatory minimum sentences. You can count on me to stand up to Gov. Brian Kemp's attempts to cut funding for criminal justice reforms, like accountability courts, that are proven to be effective. In the State House, I will fight to increase funding to programs that work, including school justice partnerships that help young offenders stay in school and out of jail. And, because most people who are incarcerated rejoin society, I will fight for funding for increased educational opportunities within our prison system to ensure that inmates can gain employment after their sentence is completed. It's simply the right thing to do.

I will work to decriminalize possession and use of marijuana, so that our criminal system can focus on violent offenders and will support elimination of cash bail for non-violent offenses. And, because accountability is a two-way street, I will fight for increased funding to ensure that every on-duty police officer has a body camera, and that all are properly trained.

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