High Praise for Kathleen Jennings’ Reforms
El Somnambulo wrote weeks ago about Attorney General Kathleen Jennings’ bold prosecution and sentencing reforms. Now her program is gaining national attention.
Shaun King, the social-justice activist, journalist and author, positively gushed in The Intercept over Jennings’ memo:
I need you to read and share this memo. It’s six pages of brilliance. Now listen, if me and the homies were in charge and wrote this memo, of course it would look and sound a lot more like it came from the Black Panther Party. But don’t be mistaken, this memo is 2,000 words of badassery….Read all 37 of her reforms. If they were to become law nationwide, they would radically reduce the number of people caught up in the system. … This is one of the best documents ever issued as state guidelines for justice reform.
King highlights what he considers five key changes, including limiting probation to one year and ending the practice of multiple charges for the same crime. King knows his stuff. If he’s impressed, we all should be.
I read that, and agree. The memo is great but it is all about follow through.
Just read thru the suggested reforms, impressive and much needed. As noted it’s all about the follow thru.
Yep. I will point out, though, that the Supreme Court has challenged the ability of states and their police to use civil forfeiture statutes to just steal stuff.
I will also point out that the specific incident the Court cited in rendering its decision was far less onerous than what routinely takes place in place in Delaware. Meaning, I don’t think Delaware’s law would hold up to legal scrutiny. Meaning, the AG should move to change those statutes.
It’s not even about challenging the police, it’s about ensuring that Delaware statutes conform to the strictures suggested in the Supreme Court decision.