The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.

Mr. Buttigieg has released a plan to address racial inequities; Mr. Booker championed
the First Step Act in the Senate; and Ms. Harris has called for legalizing recreational
marijuana, among other initiatives.
The plans by both Mr. Sanders and Ms. Warren call for spending what appears to be
billions of dollars to remake the criminal justice system — from regulating the behavior
of police officers and seeking to curb some of the discretionary authority of prosecutors
to providing better mental health care inside prisons and jails.
Mr. Sanders said he would triple federal outlays, to $14 billion annually, to prop up the
faltering public defender system, which provides aid for poor people accused of crimes.
As part of his plan, Mr. Sanders said he would establish a minimum starting salary for
public defenders and cancel their student debt.
“The criminal justice system is rigged,” Mr. Sanders wrote in his proposal. “The United
States has a criminal justice system that is built to put the profit interests of billion-dollar
industries like the bail bondsman over the interests of everyday, working people.”
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