Criminal Justice Reform
“Our criminal justice systems are sorely in need of reform. We must provide formerly incarcerated individuals with the necessary skills to earn a living wage and find stable employment, so that they may successfully reenter the community. And, we must end the cycle of injustice that is perpetuated by a system that continues to punish people, long after they have paid their debt to society.”
- Congresswoman Barbara Lee
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At over 2.3 million people, the United States has the highest prison population in the world, the vast majority of which are non-violent offenders. The criminal justice system also disproportionately impacts communities of color. African-American males make up six percent of the total population, but account for 48 percent of the prison population. Eighty two percent more Latinos are incarcerated than whites.
Rates of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS among inmates in prisons are also higher than among the general population. Without proper healthcare services in prisons and referral services for inmates who are released back into their communities, these diseases may spread further.
While more than 95 percent of all offenders are released from prison, they face significant obstacles to finding work and housing and successfully returning to their communities. The lack of adequate rehabilitation and programs to facilitate reentry leads to recidivism and more crime.
Congresswoman Lee has continued to fight for the criminal justice reform that she began as a member of the California State Legislature. She is a member of the Public Safety, Sentencing and Incarceration Reform Caucus and has led efforts to create a comprehensive and bipartisan plan to reform reentry programs, to reinstate the right to vote for ex-offenders and to provide for federal record expungement. Congresswoman Lee has worked with community organizations and local courts to establish programs to help ex-offenders clear up criminal records and successfully return to the community.