Efforts to create a fair and equitable criminal justice system, including reducing the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, reforming mandatory minimum sentencing laws, and improving conditions in prisons and jails.
Police brutality: The excessive use of force by law enforcement officers, often directed towards people of color and marginalized communities.
Mass Incarceration: The widespread and disproportionate imprisonment of people, particularly those from low-income communities, due to harsh sentencing laws and the war on drugs.
Racial profiling: The discriminatory practice of law enforcement officers targeting individuals based on their race or ethnicity.
Sentencing disparities: The unequal treatment of individuals in the justice system based on their race, ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic status.
Access to justice: The presence of equal opportunity to legal representation, particularly for marginalized communities.
Bail reform: The movement towards ending the system of cash bail which disproportionately affects low-income individuals who cannot afford to pay.
Restorative justice: An approach to justice that prioritizes repairing harm done to victims and communities over punitive measures.
Re-entry programs: Initiatives that support incarcerated individuals in successfully returning to their communities following release from prison, including assistance with housing, employment, and education.
Juvenile justice reform: Addressing the unique needs of young people in the justice system, including alternatives to incarceration and support for rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Legalizing marijuana: The movement towards ending the criminalization of marijuana, which has led to widespread incarceration and disproportionately affected communities of color.
Sentencing reform: This is a type of criminal justice reform that aims to reduce the severity of penalties for certain crimes. Sentencing reform also calls for changes in mandatory minimum sentences and the elimination of sentences that are disproportionately long.
Police reform: Police reform is an effort to create more accountability, transparency, and oversight of police practices. It involves changes to training, procedures, and policies that promote impartiality, decrease police brutality, and improve community relations.
Prison reform: This type of criminal justice reform aims to reduce the number of people who are incarcerated, encourage rehabilitation and alternative forms of punishment, and improve living conditions for inmates.
Bail reform: Bail reform seeks to reduce the number of people who are held in jail solely because they cannot afford bail. It advocates for the use of risk assessment tools and other alternatives to pretrial detention.
Drug policy reform: This type of criminal justice reform focuses on reducing the number of people incarcerated for drug-related offenses by replacing incarceration with treatment, rehabilitation, and other alternatives.
Juvenile justice reform: Juvenile justice reform aims to improve the way the justice system deals with youth offenders. It includes efforts to reduce harsh sentencing, increase diversion programs, and improve education and vocational training for juvenile offenders.
Racial justice reform: Racial justice reform seeks to address systemic racism in the criminal justice system by reducing racial disparities in arrest rates, sentencing, and incarceration. It involves initiatives to increase data collection and analysis on race-based disparities, and to eliminate policies and practices that contribute to these disparities.
Restorative justice: Restorative justice is an approach that focuses on repairing harm caused by crime rather than punishing offenders. It involves offender accountability, victim empowerment, and community involvement in the resolution process.
Reentry reform: Reentry reform focuses on improving the transition of formerly incarcerated individuals back into their communities. It includes efforts to provide job training, housing assistance, and other support services to reduce the likelihood of recidivism.