Criminal Justice Reform
The United States has a mass incarceration problem. Over 2 million people are currently behind bars, more than half of whom are Black or Latino. Mike Bloomberg is committed to reducing incarceration and making the criminal justice system fair for all. As mayor of New York City, he succeeded in doing both while making New York the safest big city in America.
Mike’s plan for criminal justice reform will protect people at every touchpoint in the justice system. He will break the cycle of violence and curb police use of force, address injustice in the courtroom and reform excessive sentencing, re-imagine our prisons and focus probation on reintegration, and help people re-enter society with dignity and a renewed sense of optimism.
Mike’s Plan:
- Commit $22.5 billion to reduce our prison population by 50% by 2030 and halve youth incarceration in four years
- Raise the standard for police use of force, hold law enforcement accountable, and rebuild public trust in police
- Expand funding for public defenders and go after abusive prosecutors
- Invest $1 billion in young men of color
- Create justice reclamation centers at historically black colleges and universities
- End cash bail, expand alternative-to-incarceration programs, and cut probation revocation by one-third
- Fund a work program, housing program, and mental health and substance abuse programs for people returning from prison.
Keep in touch
Mike’s Plan:
Protect the public and rebuild community trust
Mike will invest in innovative community-led partnerships and violence intervention programs like Cure Violence. His plan will focus on smart and just policing by raising the standard for use of force, requiring training in de-escalation and implicit bias, and promoting early intervention systems and independent police oversight. He will re-invigorate civil rights investigations of police departments with a pattern of abuse.
Address injustice in the legal system
Mike will fund $2.5 billion over 10 years for public defense – requiring grantees to have pay parity for defenders and prosecutors, as well as workload limits that ensure fair representation. Mike will also end federal cash bail and build new supervised release alternatives, end court fines and punitive fees, and propose a new federal sentencing structure to reverse an overly punitive legacy. He will de-criminalize the use and possession of marijuana nationwide, commute all existing sentences, and expunge all records.
Cut incarceration rates and re-imagine prison as a place for rehabilitation from day one
Mike will launch a Department of Justice reform hub to evaluate and fund state-level criminal justice reform efforts, set a goal to reduce incarceration by 50% by 2030 and cut crime across the U.S. and spread the use of alternatives to prison pioneered in New York City. He will launch a national initiative to address unsanitary and inhumane prison conditions, and will launch new education and job training programming. He will focus probation on re-integration, with a goal of cutting probation revocation by one-third nationally.
Help formerly incarcerated people re-enter society
Mike will start a federal work program for the formerly incarcerated, including providing employers with a multi-year tax incentive and expanding “ban the box initiatives.” He will bolster federal funding for re-entry services in the areas of housing, mental health, and substance abuse. He will also expand social services for children whose parents are incarcerated.
Increase support and services for victims of domestic violence, gun violence, hate crimes, and human trafficking
Mike will increase funding to build family justice centers and make it easier for victims to seek justice. He will also re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act, with necessary improvements; eliminate the national rape kit backlog; start a national helpline and advisory council for gun violence victims and make hate crimes and human trafficking a top federal priority.
Invest in young men of color
Mike’s plan will invest $100 million annually to revive and sustain the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative as a federal program to invest in young men of color. This national program, which builds on the Young Men’s Initiative that Mike created as mayor, will focus on creating opportunity while preventing entry into the criminal justice system.
Create restorative justice centers at historically Black colleges and universities
Mike’s plan includes funding justice reclamation centers at HBCUs across the country. Mike will set up a network of justice reclamation as hubs of history and public education that will chronicle an era, create the conditions for healing based on the best social science and devise constructive strategies for policing, remediation and community involvement.
"@MikeBloomberg led when people weren't leading." - @PureJoyJJA. As president, Mike will cut youth incarceration in half by the end of his first term, end confinement of all non-violent juveniles, and expand services to help kids stay in school and in their homes. #Bloomberg2020 pic.twitter.com/EH81Abn9A0
— Team Bloomberg (@Mike2020) December 16, 2019
Mike’s Record:
Under Mike’s leadership, New York City was the safest big city in America.
As Mayor, Mike achieved historic drops in both crime and incarceration – cutting murders in half, and reducing incarceration by nearly 40% even as it increased nationwide. Mike’s comprehensive reforms gave people caught up in the criminal justice system a chance to move forward and get ahead.
Driven by investments in community-focused approaches and support services, like the Close to Home Juvenile Justice initiative, Mike helped cut youth detention by 36%.
Mike also pioneered reform efforts that transformed probation with a community reinvestment model that served people where they live. With a mandate to get people out of the system, New York City reduced the rate of adult probation violations by 45% between 2009 and 2013.