WASHINGTON (NNPA)—Working across the aisle with Republicans on criminal justice reform might be the best shot that the Congressional Black Caucus has to address the economic challenges facing the Black community before the 2016 presidential election, according to the head of the caucus
“We are having bipartisan conversations on the whole question of criminal justice reform,” said Rep. G. K. Butterfield, D-N.C., the chairman of the CBC. “There is a group of Republican members that are thoughtful and they are beginning to think through the broken criminal justice system that we have and they are now indicating to us they’re willingness to engage in some type of legislation that will begin to address it.”
As states and jurisdictions weigh the financial burden of mass incarceration against more fiscally responsible criminal justice policies, more lawmakers are considering diversionary programs, decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana to decrease the load on their jails and court systems, and making it easier for ex-offenders to find jobs that pay a living wage after they’ve paid their debt to society.
The Vera Institute of Justice, an independent research and policy group, reported that taxpayers in 40 states shelled out nearly $40 billion in FY2010 to cover the costs of housing inmates and running prisons and jails.
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