FLASHBACK: Harris wanted to end cash bail and reduce penalties for criminals
https://alphanews.org/flashback-harris-wanted-to-end-cash-bail-and-reduce-penalties-for-criminals/
While Harris has previously supported weakening law enforcement, her campaign is preparing to present her to voters as a law and order candidate.
A newly-resurfaced memo put out by Vice President Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign outlined her plan to “fundamentally transform” the criminal justice system by reducing penalties for criminals.
Harris, in 2019, promised to end cash bail, get rid of court-ordered fines, expunge the records of some felons, discontinue federal mandatory minimum sentences and to place greater federal scrutiny on local police departments, according to a memo resurfaced by the Washington Free Beacon on Thursday. While Harris has previously supported weakening law enforcement, her campaign is preparing to present her to voters as a law and order candidate in contrast to former President Donald Trump, CNN reported.
“It is long past time to re-envision public safety by strengthening and supporting our communities and drastically limiting the number of people we expose to our criminal justice system,” the memo reads. “As president, Kamala will fundamentally transform how we approach public safety.”
Nearly 60% of Americans surveyed in January, including roughly half of Democrats, said that the president and Congress should make addressing crime a priority, according to the Pew Research Center. A similar proportion of registered voters, 61%, told Pew in April that the criminal justice system is not tough enough on criminals.
“Excessive cash bail disproportionately harms people from low-income communities and communities of color,” Harris’ 2019 memo reads. She characterized cash bail systems as “criminalizing poverty” and vowed to end them.
Ending cash bail has led to backlash in some major cities, with New Yorkers in February 2022 overwhelmingly supporting tightening bail laws following an increase in crime, the New York Post reported. The Texas Organizing Project, a Soros-backed nonprofit that opposes cash bail, bonded out a man who went on to allegedly murder six people and shoot three others in December 2023.
“In addition, we need to eliminate court fees and fees associated with diversion, treatment, or community supervision that make it harder for individuals to reintegrate into society,” Harris’ memo continued.
The memo no longer appears on Harris’ campaign website, though it is still present on the vice president’s Medium page.