San Diego Criminal Lawyers Blog
In a new coalition called Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration created by 130 police chiefs, prosecutors, and sheriffs, lawmakers from across the nation recently met in Washington, D.C. to address criminal justice reform. The coalition met with President Obama to figure out ways to push for alternatives to arrests, restore balance to criminal laws, reform mandatory minimum prison sentences, and strengthen community law enforcement relationships.
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis was amongst the leaders to join the coalition to develop ways to safely reduce the nation’s incarceration rate. According to the group, the “incarceration rate in the United States has reached a crisis point.” The group specifically pointed to the changes needed to be made to keep low-level offenders or the mentally ill out of the system. The push for reform comes as law enforcement nationwide has tried to restore its relationship with the community in the face of the disparate impacts that incarceration has on communities of color.
Some of the focus areas the coalition has identified include: