As Republicans, I believe in the rule of law and the importance of public safety. I, respect the men and women who serve in law enforcement and risk their lives to protect our communities. I wholeheartedly support their efforts to uphold justice and maintain order.
But as someone who grew up on the south side of Chicago, I also recognize that our criminal justice system is not perfect. It is not always fair, efficient, or effective. It sometimes fails to protect the innocent, punish the guilty, or rehabilitate the offenders. It sometimes imposes excessive costs on taxpayers, families, and society. It sometimes undermines the values and principles that we cherish as Americans.
That is why I support criminal justice reform. I support reform that is based on common sense, compassion, and conservatism. I support reform that balances the need for public safety with the need for the very individual liberties that the constitution promises us all. I support reform that promotes accountability, responsibility, and opportunity.
I support reform that:
Reduces crime and recidivism by providing offenders with the skills, education, and treatment they need to become productive citizens.
Saves taxpayer money by prioritizing prison space for violent and dangerous criminals and expanding alternatives to incarceration for low-level and nonviolent offenders.
Restores fairness and integrity by ensuring that sentences are proportional to the crimes committed, and that due process and equal protection are guaranteed for all.
Strengthens families and communities by removing unnecessary barriers to employment, housing, and education for those who have paid their debt to society.
Upholds human dignity and respect by treating offenders as individuals with potential, not as irredeemable failures.
I believe that these reforms are consistent with our conservative values. They uphold the principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and individual freedom. They advance the goals of public safety, personal responsibility, and human potential. They reflect the ideals of justice, mercy, and redemption.
I also believe that these reforms have bipartisan support. They have been endorsed by leaders from across the political spectrum, from President Trump to former President Obama, from Senator Grassley to Senator Booker, from Governor Abbott to Governor Newsom. They have been enacted by states from Texas to California, from Georgia to New Jersey. They have been proven by evidence and experience to work.
I will urge my fellow Republicans to join us in supporting criminal justice reform. I will urge them to put aside partisan politics and ideological differences, and work with us for the common good. I will urge them to remember that we are not only a party of law and order, but also a party of liberty and justice.
I believe that criminal justice reform is not only a good policy, but also good politics. I believe that it will help us win the hearts and minds of the American people, especially those who have been marginalized or disenfranchised by the current system. I know that it will help us expand our base and grow our party when we show people who have misled to believe that we don’t understand or care that we do understand and will actually do something about it.
I believe that criminal justice reform is the right thing to do for our country. As I move from the primaries to the general election, I will release an outlined version of the bill I will propose from day one in congress. I will look for input from the communities and organizations most affected by the disparities in criminal justice so that the republican party gets it right.