Issue Position: Securing Justice Reform and Equal Rights

Issue Position

For too long, the federal government has sat idle on issues of basic justice and fairness in American society. Public injustices -- the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Andres Guardado, Carlos Ingram-Lopez and too many others -- have elevated the daily injustices facing Black and Latino Americans. But when the public pressure wanes, Washington has often chose to move on rather than take meaningful steps to guarantee the equality under the law that Americans are guaranteed in the Constitution. To address these longstanding wrongs, as senator, Dr. Barbara Bollier would support reforms for:

Living up to the promise of equality under the law, by

Building on the bipartisan FIRST STEP Act;
Investing in public defenders and providing for equity in criminal defense;
Decriminalizing marijuana;
Re-evaluating mandatory minimum sentencing;
Addressing issues specifically facing women and rural communities in criminal justice reform.
Guaranteeing the right to full participation in our society and democracy to communities of color, by

Protecting the right to vote for people of color, and reinstating votings rights to formerly incarcerated people who have completed the terms of their sentences;
Ensuring formerly incarcerated people are given a fair chance for employment;
Providing access to education and federal post-secondary financial aid for formerly incarcerated people.
Policing that protects and serves communities of color, by

Investing in procedural justice to make policing fair, transparent, and community-driven;
Ending the militarization of the police.

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