Elizabeth Warren called for the repeal of the 1994 crime bill — which Joe Biden helped write — and for the government to push states to decriminalize school truancy, in contrast to the stiffer penalties Kamala Harris championed in California
Elizabeth Warren subtly distinguished herself from rivals Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Tuesday as she laid out her plan for criminal justice reform., Warren called for the repeal of the 1994 crime bill — which Biden helped write as a senator — and for the federal government to push states and localities to decriminalize school truancy, in contrast to the stiffer penalties Harris championed during her career in California.
Signed by then-president Bill Clinton, the bill was part of a series of criminal justice reforms in the 80s and 90s that dramatically increased the number of people in jail and disproportionately affected people of color. The legislation incentivized states to impose longer prison sentences, cut off Pell Grants for people in prison, and implemented the three-strikes law. Currently, the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and imprisons more than 2 million people.
Biden’s moves have not tempered criticism from rivals who are also trying to knock him from his perch atop the polls. Sen. Cory Booker and Harris have already attacked Biden more explicitly over the legacy of the crime bill, with Booker calling Biden “an architect of mass incarceration.” But despite the bill’s impact on communities of color, Biden maintains the highest levels of support among black voters ahead of the primary contests next year.
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