We don’t have to make a choice between safety and justice. In fact, we can create a criminal justice system that not only keeps our communities safe by addressing the root causes of crime and getting illegal guns off our streets, but also that ensures all Illinoisians are treated fairly.
Illinois’s recently passed landmark criminal justice reform legislation is a definitive step in the right direction, with important provisions on bail reform, sentencing guidelines, and policing, including a ban on chokeholds and body camera mandate for officers. However, we need more action at the federal level
Making Our Communities Safer
- Target resources toward getting illegal guns off our streets and out of the hands of criminals
- Invest in smart, community-based policing techniques that improve trust in our police forces while reducing crime and making us all safer
- Address mental health issues that can contribute to violence and crime
Building a Fairer System
- Reform sentencing and bail regulations to be fairer
- Stop over-policing minor, non-violent offenses that contribute to mass incarceration while doing nothing to improve community safety
In Congress, I will work toward finding bipartisan solutions to addressing violence in our communities big and small, and will push for smart reforms to our criminal justice system.
