SCRAP IT

Bernie Sanders Unveils Plan for Massive Overhaul of Criminal Justice System

The plan calls for the federal legalization of marijuana and the end of the death penalty, among other progressive proposals.

Bernie Sanders (D-VT) on Sunday unveiled his extensive proposal to reform the nation’s flawed criminal justice system. The nearly 6,000-word plan includes the national legalization of marijuana and the creation of “safe injection sites,” locations where illegal drugs can be taken under medical supervision. Studies have shown that such controversial sites curb the number of overdose deaths. The Democratic candidate also outlined a plan to abolish the death penalty, something that Sanders has long opposed. “Capital punishment has failed to reduce violent crime and is disproportionately apportioned to the poor and black and brown people. It has also cost innocent lives,” reads the proposal.

Sanders looks to reform prisons by banning solitary confinement, a practice many deem inhumane, and promises the attorney general will investigate every death in police custody. The plan also calls for a ban of civil asset forfeiture, which allows for people’s property to be seized without being convicted of a crime, and an end to the cash bail system. “Hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people in America have not been convicted of a crime and are solely in jail because they can’t afford their bail,” reads the proposal. “We are criminalizing poverty.”