ALICE MARIE JOHNSON, KEY CONSERVATIVE GROUPS STRONGLY URGE PASSAGE OF CRUCIAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS
Current Legislation Includes Key Life-Saving, Job-Saving Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Measures: Allies of President Trump, McConnell Speak Out in Favor
Justice Action Network’s Holly Harris: “Secretary Mnuchin and Speaker Pelosi are working toward a bipartisan deal, and others need to follow or get out of the way.”
(Washington, D.C.) – After numerous twists and turns the past week, word leaked last night that COVID-19 relief package discussions have resumed in earnest, with President Trump, White House officials and House Democrats publicly moving ahead to seek a much-needed deal. Now influential voices are joining the chorus in support of bipartisan criminal justice reforms under consideration, including Alice Marie Johnson, a grandmother pardoned by President Trump, whose prime-time address at the RNC electrified the country. Powerful conservative groups are speaking up alongside her, including the American Conservative Union, FreedomWorks, Right on Crime, and R Street Network, as well as the bipartisan Justice Action Network, to push Senate Republicans and the White House to work with House Democrats on a bill that includes emergency criminal justice reform measures.
With renewed hope for a deal, Holly Harris, President and Executive Director of Justice Action Network, issued the following statement:
“President Trump has spoken - the White House wants a “big deal” – and Alice Marie Johnson and critical conservative voices are now urging Congress and the White House to include life-saving, emergency criminal justice reforms in any package. This last week, the Beltway has focused all its attention on a rash of high-profile diagnoses, when lawmakers on the Hill should be working to help their struggling constituents, especially the forgotten Americans in our jails and prisons, tens of thousands of whom have fallen sick or died from COVID-19. The emergency bipartisan reforms currently in the House package will positively impact public health and public safety, and most importantly, save lives. We are heartened to see certain Senate Republicans, especially those hearing from their constituents every day on the campaign trial, signal they want a deal – and it’s time for their leadership to heed the call.
“Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle must put people before politics and ensure we give as much help and attention to all Americans as we give to those in the Beltway.”
LETTER AVAILABLE HERE.
The HEROES Act includes reforms that address these critical areas. Justice Action Network is calling on Senate Republicans and the White House to ensure they are included in any final relief package; in recent days, vulnerable Senate Republicans including Susan Collins and Thom Tillis have indicated their desire to pass a bill:
Local Justice System Funding – Critical support is needed for state and local law enforcement leaders doing it right – safely reducing incarceration rates to balance public health and public safety; these emergency resources could be used for addiction and mental health treatment; improved access to technology for justice system first responders; staffing deficiencies due to sickness and quarantining; and increased medical care and testing. The provision is a plea from state and local justice officials in more than a dozen states serving on the COVID-19 Emergency Justice Taskforce.
Paycheck Protection Program Second Chance Act – Introduced by Senators Portman, Cardin, Booker and Lankford, the bipartisan proposal would remove barriers to PPP for business owners with criminal records, roughly a third of all small business owners who turned away from crime to create jobs and contribute to society. Only one-in-four Americans supported a prohibition on small business emergency funding for people with criminal records.
Elderly Release – Introduced by the bipartisan duo of Senators Durbin and Grassley, this proposal would help protect seniors – the fastest growing portion of the prison population and most vulnerable to COVID-19. We know COVID-19 hits theelderly and those with pre-existing conditions the hardest, and measures like social distancing are impossible in prisons. Transferring seniors who do not pose a risk to public safety into home detention must be a top priority for Congress – or the disease will continue to spread throughout prison facilities and into surrounding communities, and more lives will be lost. This policy was supported by 69% of Americans, with majority support from Republicans, Independents, and Democrats.
These criminal justice reforms have also garnered strong bipartisan support from organizations across the political spectrum, including Arnold Ventures, Prison Fellowship, as well as this additional letter of support sent today from the ACLU, NAACP, #cut50, Sentencing Project, FAMM, and more.