My Top Of 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate
This essay discusses my three top 2020 democratic presidential candidate choices and their criminal justice reform platforms, as well as the incumbent president. The main focus of this essay is the three top candidates and the current presidents’ view on how to reform an unequal system that fosters social injustice, and their plan to fix a broken system.
Typically, it would be easier for me to write about my top three Republican choices that are running for President. I find myself always leaning toward voting for the Republican Party. However, after doing extensive research I have found three democratic candidates that I find myself rooting for. The three democratic candidates that I chose have an admirable stance on how to reform the justice system that fosters social injustice. The candidates that I feel were worth my top three choices are Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. All three have similar stances on how to reform the criminal justice system. They are not identical but I believe they hold on to values worth fighting for, for American citizens. The incumbent Presidents’ criminal justice platform is hard to piece together. It seems as though a reformation was not on his top priority list.
Joe Biden
I chose Joe Biden as one of my top three democratic candidates because of his passion to change the criminal justice system. He has the voice and leverage to make the changes needed. He has first-hand experience since he was the Vice President to Barrack Obama. Joe Biden bases his criminal justice reform on equality, equity, and justice. A large basis of Joe Biden’s platform is rehabilitating previously incarcerated and currently incarcerated persons lives. The main purpose in this is to enable them to be productive members of society. It is hard to live in a society that looks at only the mistakes a person has made instead of helping them work toward success. Biden believes that combating criminal careers takes prevention and help to those who need it. He wants schooling and education to be readily available for people in prison so that when they get out they have a fair shot at having a successful life. Repeat offenders are common when they do not have help to rebuild their lives.
Mr. Biden not only wants to make changes to help the individual outside of prison, but also inside prison as well. More often than not women in federal prisons and jails are not provided with adequate medical care. Women have different health care needs than men and Biden is determined to make sure that women are treated with respect and proper medical care. Humane prison conditions are of utmost priority to Joe Biden. It is no secret that drug users are subject to life in and out of prison. The criminal justice reform Joe Biden wants to ensure drug users are rehabilitated instead of being sent to prison. He will incentivize states to get people help instead of immediately jailing them.
Children are often a product of their environment. Children are often in and out of jail for being ill prepared for life. Biden wants to incentive states to stop putting children in jail. He believes in giving children a true second chance and the resources to help make their lives better. Biden wants to set a budget for more after-school programs to keep kids out of trouble and off the streets.
Joe Biden is also a large advocate of ending racial, gender, and income disparities. He believes that there should be equality for all. There should not be a different between the black, white or brown communities, men and women, or the rich and poor. Everyone should be treated equally. Biden vows to fight the misconduct in police departments and prosecutors’ offices. In that same note, he also promises to invest in public defenders so everyone has a fair and equal shot at justice. Biden believes everyone deserves quality counsel.
Another item on Mr. Biden’s agenda is decriminalizing cannabis.
Bernie Sanders
I chose Bernie Sanders as one of my top three democratic candidates because he has admirable views on how to change the justice system. I believe that he has the passion to make changes happen. Bernie Sanders has huge ideas and hopes to change the criminal justice system. A large portion of this reform starts with prisons. Bernie believes that there should not be private prison or detentions centers. Many of these institutions profit from people being incarcerated, and he believes that sort of profiteering needs to be put to an end.
Prison systems make billions of dollars by overcharging items prison inmate’s needs. Under Bernie Sanders administration he will make sure phone calls, and other forms of communication are free for the inmate. He also wants to add luxuries such as video chats to make talking to family more personal. (Add quote about how phone calls in prison are a billion-dollar corporation). Another issue Mr. Sanders points out is how commissaries in prisons overcharge for basic necessity items. He promises to audit those practices to end those types of overcharging.
Along with his plan of humanizing prisons, Bernie Sanders will end solitary confinement. Many inmates are put in solitary daily. Not only is it inhumane but also barbaric. These chambers have no windows, and zero access to fresh air. Inmates are unable to interact with another human being until their solitary confinement punishment is finished.
Bernie Sanders will end cash bail and allow people to go home while awaiting trial. To him it is wrong to keep someone jailed just because they are unable to pay for bond. Many people who go through the justice system are poor and typically end up going into more debt trying to pay for a bail bond that they cannot afford.
One of the strongest views that Bernie has is banning the prosecution of children under the age of 18. That plan resonated with me the most and drove me to pick him as one of my candidates. Many adolescents are still learning how to behave properly, and more often than not they do not have the adequate care to guide them down a straight and narrow path. That is why Bernie Sanders wants to ensure that the juvenile facilities our youth are sent to promote rehabilitation and growth. He will also ensure that the youth of this country will no longer be jailed in adult prisons. Children 18 and younger do not need to be subjected to the type of violence that adult prisons have. They are children and deserve a fair second chance at life.
In todays school’s truancy is a crime. A parent and the student can be jailed for missing school. In some poor parts of the country, students are not always able to make it school. Whether it be a car has broken down, or the mother has to work and does not have the time to take their child to school, or the student is a victim of violence at home, many students miss school every day. Bernie Sanders wants to decriminalize truancy for students and their parents. A child and parent should not have to punished for something that is outside of their ability.
Elizabeth Warren
I chose Elizabeth Warren as one of my top three democratic candidates because she has many ideas on how to reform the criminal justice system that I agree with. I also think that it would be an incredible historic change having a woman for President. I think she would bring compassion and empathy to an otherwise typically cold and unemotional government. I also think that on top of all the other plans she has to reform the justice system that she would be an advocate for women as well.
One of the top issues Elizabeth Warren wants to improve is preventing violence before it starts. She wants to invest money in programs that prevent violence and divert criminal behavior. Within this plan Elizabeth want to make sure schools have more social workers, nurses, psychologists, and counselors available to students. She wants to make sure students all across America have access to the resources they need. Especially when students experience poverty, violence, family issues, or an incarcerated caregiver.
Thousands of students are arrested for minor wrongdoings because the youth do not have resources to the proper outlets that can help them before they do something terribly wrong.
Elizabeth Warren will ensure police departments have mandatory training in scientific, and psychological areas. Especially in instances that require someone to know how a youth develops to provide a situation with de-escalation instead of using force. A huge issue is that civilians and police are not trusting of one another. People of color are afraid of police officers because of the history of unnecessary force used upon them. Under Elizabeth Warren’s Presidency she will make sure officers are held accountable for their actions and end racial discrimination.
When it comes to the court system Elizabeth is clear about making sure there is prosecutor and judicial reform. She will ensure that there is access to public counsel and make sure prosecutors are not serving harsh punishments. Mrs. Warren will make sure the mandatory minimum jail sentences are reduced and make sure the justice system does not punish a youth like an adult.
Candidate Warren is adamant about improving prison conditions. She would like to make sure people incarcerated are treated humanely and given access to basic human rights. Elizabeth will make sure that the LGBTQ community, pregnant women, victims of domestic violence, and people with disabilities are taken care of the way they need to be. It is not often that they can be treated as a member of the general population. Not only that, but under her Presidency incarcerated persons will have access to phone calls, bank transfers, and health care free of charge.
When it comes to the “war on drugs” Elizabeth want to make sure that the pharmaceutical companies are held accountable. If they find anything they find suspicious they should report it instead of gaining from it. On top of that she will make marijuana legal, erase past drug convictions and eliminate the difference between crack and powder cocaine sentencing. Programs for persons with substance abuse will be invested in. A person should not be jailed if they have a drug addiction. They need rehabilitation. If they are jailed for drugs or anything else and have to await trial, they will no longer be kept in prison. She is ending cash bail and no longer punishing someone for being unable to pay fines and fees.
Donald Trump
While researching Donald Trump I did not find any kind of obvious criminal justice reform. Instead there was a lot of information about how the current President has created new law enforcement jobs, cracked down on criminal organizations, allowed states to use military grade equipment and so on. He did however provide $500 million to states to prevent and treat opioid abuse. President Trump also prohibited states from defunding abortion service providers and sign a congressional Review Act to allow states to restrict Planned Parenthood. In my opinion I do not think Trump has a good platform for review. If I had to choose I would say my top two choices that have the best platform for criminal justice reform are Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
References
- https://berniesanders.com/issues/criminal-justice-reform/
- https://www.donaldjtrump.com
- https://elizabethwarren.com/plans/criminal-justice-reform/
- https://joebiden.com/justice/
