Criminal Justice Policy

CRIMINAL JUSTICE POLICY

African Americans live with a greater burden of disease than whites, and as we’re seeing more and more of our chronic conditions place us at increased risk for complications from COVID-19. The inequities within the U.S. healthcare system impact people of color disproportionately and lead to unequal access to services and poorer health outcomes, especially for African Americans.

The NAACP is calling for:

• Expand the Home Confinement Pilot Program under the First Step Act to provide early release of elderly offenders. Section 602 of the FSA modified 18 U.S.C. Section 3621 (c)(1) authorizes the Bureau of Prisons to maximize home confinement when possible. Congress should extend the program to include the eligibility requirements below.
• Expand Release/Reduction in sentence to provide early release of nonviolent offenders. Under 18 U.S.C. Section 4205 (g) and 18 U.S.C. Section 3582 (c)(1)(A) a reduction in sentence is permitted where particularly extraordinary or compelling circumstances which could not reasonably have been foreseen by the court at the time of sentencing exist. The reduction in sentence reduces the minimum term of sentence to time served. Congress should declare COVID-19 a compelling circumstance for the purposes of this section and streamline the request process for eligible offenders.

How You Can Help:

• Donate toward our efforts to advocate for smarter, results-based criminal justice policies to keep our communities safe, including treatment for addiction and mental health problems, judicial discretion in sentencing, and an end to racial disparities at all levels of the system.
• Sign-up to support our Criminal Justice program.