Click below to find out more about Right On Crime’s priority issues in criminal justice reform.
Thousands of harmless activities are now classified as crimes in the United States. These are not typical common law crimes such as murder, rape, or theft. Instead they encompass a series of business activities such as importing orchids without the proper paperwork, shipping lobster tails in plastic bags, and even failing to return a library book.
Civil asset forfeiture is a mechanism used by law enforcement that allows them need to meet a very low burden of proof before being able to seize property from individual citizens and businesses. The assets can then be repurposed, often providing funding for the very law enforcement agency that seized it. While forfeiture began as a way to put criminal gains to a useful purpose, this government function has been expanded much too far, and now endangers individual rights and the integrity of law enforcement.
“Reentry” is the term used to describe the process of reintegrating criminal offenders back into their communities. A proper parole system must include effective reentry programs.
Prosecutors wield tremendous power in the outcome of every criminal case. They decide who to charge and with what charges as well as pretrial sentencing, bail and plea bargaining. In most cases, the influence of the judge is greatly reduced which tips the criminal justice balance of power in favor of prosecutors who should be partial actors in the system.
Youths who “slip through the cracks” may remain in the criminal justice system throughout their lives even though some would have chosen a better path if effective policies had been available during pivotal developmental stages. Cost-effective interventions that leverage the strengths of families and communities to reform troubled youths are critical to an effective juvenile justice system.
When spending taxpayer money on criminal justice, it is counterproductive and wasteful to enact policies that create more criminals, rather than enacting policies that reduce the incidence of crime. Communities do not benefit from locking up low-risk offenders.
Our police play a critical role in government’s core function of protecting rights and keeping the peace. They are an integral part of our communities and our government at every level. Ensuring they remain both a part of the community as well as fulfilling their role within the government is vital to both liberty and public safety.
When a property crime or a violent crime occurs, the primary aggrieved party is the individual victim, not the government, and thus the compensation should go primarily to the individual victim, not the government.
Prisons serve a critical role in society. In many cases – particularly cases of violent crime – the best way to handle criminal behavior is to incapacitate criminals by incarcerating them. Prisons are supremely important, but they are also a supremely expensive government program, and thus prison systems must be held to the highest standards of accountability.