On Wednesday, the criminal justice reform movement got a boost from more than 130 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and attorneys general, who revealed a four-pronged initiative to reduce mass incarceration. Citing the need to create alternatives to imprisonment, scale back strict criminal laws, reduce mandatory minimum sentences, and prioritize community trust-building, the plan echoes national, bipartisan calls for comprehensive change. It also aligns with the package of federal sentencing reforms that the Senate unveiled earlier this month.
“We have to look at this as not just police departments and sheriffs departments standing up and saying we need to arrest less. What we need to do is treat more,” Chief Charlie Beck of the Los Angeles Police Department said at a press conference Wednesday.
The group, formally known as Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration (Law Enforcement Leaders), is helmed by leaders of major police departments, all of which are currently facing allegations of police abuse and illegal jailing practices. Chief Bill Bratton of the NYPD, Chief Beck of the LAPD, Chief Cathy Lanier of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and Superintendent Garry McCarthy of the Chicago Police Department have all signed on. Many of the coalition members have pushed aggressive policing strategies for years, resulting in rampant racial profiling, unlawful stops and searches, and excessive use of force.
Prosecutors listed as founding members include Cleveland’s Tim McGinty, who has been slow-pedaling the investigation into the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, and Chicago’s Anita Alvarez, whose prosecutorial approach has been called “vindictive and defensive — aimed at people who are less a threat to public safety than to the image of law enforcement.” Alvarez has also worked to keep likely-innocent men in prison, while her lenient charges against the CPD officer who killed Rekia Boyd led to his acquittal.
According to the coalition’s statement of principles, mass incarceration “does not always keep our communities safe” and actually contributes to future crime. Indeed, studies show that incarceration has accounted for less than 10 percent of the crime drop between 1990 and 2013. Nonviolent offenders are more likely to commit violent offenses when they spend time behind bars with violent criminals. Yet since the rise of the War on Drugs, law enforcement has embraced tough-on-crime policies that include mass arrests of people of color and lengthy sentences for minor crimes.
Law Enforcement Leaders are proposing that officers focus on prison diversion, including drug treatment and mental health programs, to minimize high incarceration rates. The group also plans to pressure lawmakers to eliminate mandatory minimums and reduce harsh criminal penalties for minor offenses, so that officers can use their resources to crack down on violent, serious crimes instead. And the coalition hopes to strengthen relationships between police and the communities they serve.
Coalition members are less concerned about the methods used to tackle crime and more interested in what to do with offenders.
“I’m a big believer in broken windows,” Superintendent McCarthy said at the press conference. “I learned very early in life that if you take care of the little things, you can prevent the big things from happening. The question is how do you process those arrests?” When ThinkProgress asked if he would move to shut down Homan Square, the Chicago police’s “black site” that has reportedly disappeared 7,000 people, McCarthy said he had no comment.
Los Angeles’ police chief took a similar stance.
“None of this is being soft on crime and none of this is saying we’re not going to lock people up. We’re going to lock the right people up for the right crimes — those crimes that hurt people, that control neighborhoods, things that are related to gang activity,” Beck told ThinkProgress. “It’s very important to understand what we’re saying. We’re not saying that we approve drug use. We’re not saying that we approve personal use or narcotics. What we’re saying is that needs a different path than prison.”
Nevertheless, advocates of criminal justice reform are optimistic about the proposed culture shift in police departments nationwide.
“Law Enforcement Leaders is a critical, and long needed, addition to our efforts,” Director Inimai Chettiar of the Brennan Center’s Justice Program said.
The group is scheduled to meet with President Obama Thursday.