June 24, 2016

Hon. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Chair

Hon. Elijah Cummings, Platform Chair
Democratic National Committee
430 South Capitol Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003

Hon. Reince Priebus, Chair

Hon. John Barrasso, Platform Chair
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003

Re: Criminal Justice Reform as a Party Priority

Dear Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Chairman Priebus, Rep. Cummings, and Sen. Barrasso:
As you convene to set your respective policy agendas, we urge you to include reducing mass
incarceration, while increasing public safety, as part of your party platforms.
The United States has 5 percent of the worlds population, but approximately 25 percent of the
global prison population.1 Our current system has led to excessive incarceration rates; imposed
disproportionately long prison sentences that serve little rehabilitative purpose and often increase
recidivism; and crippled communities while dampening economic opportunity. As budgets for
prison populations have climbed, funding for crime prevention and victims has suffered.
The burden of our over-reliance on incarceration has fallen disproportionately on communities of
color, contributing to racial disparities, poverty, and increasing inequality across the board. The
effects are stark and will linger for generations to come, unless there is a concerted effort from
policymakers to choose a wiser course.
Public safety is paramount. We know that we can keep down crime without over-imprisonment.
In the last ten years, 27 states brought down crime and incarceration simultaneously.
Progressives, conservatives, religious leaders, libertarians, impacted communities, business
owners, and law enforcement are all coming together to agree that the over-use of incarceration
does not help reduce crime, but instead takes a deleterious toll on our country fiscally, socially,
and morally. We hope you will take advantage of this bipartisan moment and develop a platform
that includes strong support of justice reform.
For decades, Democratic and Republican party platforms have praised lengthy and one-size-fitsall sentencing policies, such as three-strikes laws and mandatory minimums, and applauded
increased federal funding for the construction of new prisons. We urge you to make a bold break
from the past by including the following in your platforms:

Call for an end to the era of mass incarceration. Call on states and the federal government
to reduce over-reliance on imprisonment, while continuing to protect public safety.
Reform sentencing laws so that the punishment is proportional to the crime and no longer
than necessary to achieve rehabilitation and deterrence. Enact laws that provide for
alternatives to incarceration, and return discretion to judges.
Reverse the harmful financial incentives to states created by the Violent Crime Control
and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (commonly referred to as the 1994 Crime Bill) and
1

other federal laws and programs. Rather than using federal funds to subsidize mass
incarceration, the federal government should reward states that both reduce incarceration
and reduce crime.
Remove barriers to reentry and provide second chances to the formerly incarcerated by
investing in reentry, job training, and educational programs that increase employment
opportunities and reduce recidivism.

While more is needed to fully achieve reform, including these measures in the platforms will
signal a significant shift in national policy. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
American Civil Liberties Union
Karin Johanson, Director, Washington Legislative Office
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Michael Waldman, President
Inimai M. Chettiar, Director, Justice Program
#Cut50
Van Jones, President & Co-Founder
Matt Haney, Director of Policy
Drug Policy Alliance
Michael Collins, Director of National Affairs
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Jennifer Kim, Director of Programs
JustLeadershipUSA
Glenn E. Martin, President & Founder
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Wade Henderson, President & Chief Executive Officer
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Hilary O. Shelton, Director, Washington Bureau; Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy
The Urban League
Marc H. Morial, President & Chief Executive Officer

1

See ROY WALMSLEY, INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR PRISON STUDIES, WORLD PRISON POPULATION LIST 3 (10th ed.
2013) (providing the population of the United States as 5% of the worlds and its prison population as 22% of the
worlds); see also Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Does the United States Really Have 5 Percent of the Worlds Population
and One Quarter of the Worlds Prisoners?, WASH. POST, Apr. 30, 2015 (confirming 4% and 22% are the most
recent estimates).
2