According to the plan, if elected president, Sanders – who has long waged a campaign to end for-profit prisons – would ban bail bonds and confiscation of civilian assets, as well as the number of public defenders and the funding they need to better serve some communities, according to the plan. It would also promulgate a "Prisoner's Rights Charter" for detainees, which includes the right to a living wage and training, as well as the right to vote.
Sanders proposes his latest plan in an electoral cycle in which the country's criminal justice system and mass incarceration are crucial issues for candidates and voters, especially people of color. The detailed plan, which Sanders is expected to officially announce on Sunday in Columbia, South Carolina, could feed the Vermont Independents, who seek to woo African-American voters in battlefield states and elsewhere.
As part of its criminal justice overhaul project, Sanders aims to change the way policing works by "creating an unarmed civilian body of first responders" to address "minor" issues. such as homelessness and mental health emergencies. It would also work to reduce the number of incidents involving an excessive police force by creating national standards for the police that "emphasize de-escalation rather than violence".
In addition, Sanders would use to abolish the death penalty and solitary confinement, would increase the age of 18 to bring children to adult courts, legalize marijuana and "(cancel ) previous convictions for marijuana-related offenses. " According to the plan, Sanders would also set itself the goal of "halving the incarcerated population".
Several other candidates explained how they would modify certain aspects of the criminal justice system, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who proposed in July a $ 20 billion grant program to put pressure on states to remove mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent crimes. Last month, Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, in Indiana, released his racial justice plan aimed at, among other things, reducing by 50% the number of federal and state incarcerations. United and abolish private federal prisons.
Annie Grayer, Donald Judd and Eric Bradner of CNN contributed to this report.
