Kamala Harris’ Plan for Changing Prison Sentences Backed by Republicans

While Republicans and Democrats might not agree on much, their views on criminal justice reform may be more alike than previously believed.
A new report from immigration and criminal justice reform organization FWD.us showed that 81 percent of likely voters support criminal justice reform. Support crossed party lines, with 85 percent of Democrats, 82 percent of independents and 76 percent of Republicans in favor of policies that would reduce incarceration rates.
And when it came to one of Vice President Kamala Harris’ criminal justice reform initiatives to end mandatory minimum sentences, 60 percent of Republicans said they were on board compared to 82 percent of Democrats.
“Poll after poll—including this one—show an electorate well educated on the harms of mass incarceration and invested in the benefits of reform,” FWD.us Executive Director Zoë Towns said in a statement. “In a national election likely to be determined by a small margin in a few battleground states, support for popular, commonsense criminal justice reforms can tip the balance.”
With her background in criminal justice, Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, set goals on ending mandatory minimum sentences as vice president in order to get incarceration rates down. Harris has also pushed to legalize marijuana and abolish the death penalty and solitary confinement. The former California attorney general also called to use clemency powers to limit the number of people in federal prison.
A majority, 65 percent of the roughly 1,500 surveyed voters, also said mass incarceration contributes to homelessness, public drug use and drug overdoses. This could translate to who voters select in the polls as well, as 55 percent said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports criminal justice reform.
There’s been a previous bipartisan effort to reduce the rates of incarceration in America. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, and Harris voted in favor of the First Step Act, which aimed to lower the number of people in federal prison and prioritize rehabilitation instead of incarceration.
In 2022, more than 1.2 million Americans were imprisoned, a 2 percent increase from the year before, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Roughly 74 of Republicans and 87 percent of Democrats were in favor of increasing the amount of time people can earn off their prison sentence for good behavior and participating in rehabilitation programs.
Meanwhile, 75 of Republicans and 87 percent of Democrats supported allowing judges and prosecutors to review cases after a person has served at least 10 years, allowing prison time to be reduced on a case-by-case basis.