Kamala Harris’s role as Vice President has sparked discussions about her stance on criminal justice reform. During the campaign, the narrative of “prosecutor versus felon” emerged, highlighting Harris’s background as a prosecutor and Donald Trump’s criminal history. However, formerly incarcerated activists argued that such labels are harmful to the millions of Americans with convictions on their record. They believe that these labels reinforce barriers to employment, education, and housing for those leaving prison.
While Harris has not disavowed the prosecutor versus felon theme, she has not fully embraced it either. Her tough-on-crime rhetoric has mainly focused on border enforcement, an area where she is seen as vulnerable. However, her VP selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who signed sweeping reform legislation, suggests that she is not running away from the issue. Additionally, the invitation of Yusef Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five, to speak at the Democratic National Convention shows a nod towards the problem of wrongful convictions.
However, as her presidential campaign progresses, Harris has remained silent on the role of criminal justice reform in her presidency. This silence may be a strategic move to avoid attacks from Republicans. Other policy areas, such as economic plans, have taken priority for Harris. The Democratic National Committee’s party platform aligns with Biden’s previously promised reforms and Harris’s previous criminal justice platform, which called mass incarceration “the civil rights issue of our time.”
Harris’s record on criminal justice reform includes several legislative efforts. She introduced the Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act, aimed at bail reform, and the Ensuring Quality Access to Legal Defense Act, which sought to level the field between prosecutors and public defenders. She also co-sponsored various bills, including the Fair Chance at Housing Act and the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act.
While these reforms did not offer a radical re-envisioning of the criminal justice system, they could have positively impacted the lives of those within it. However, as vice president, Harris has not prioritized criminal justice reform. Her public roundtables on the topic have not translated into significant action. Biden’s limited use of his pardon power, despite promises to increase clemency, highlights the need for Harris to follow through on her own promises.
As Harris seeks to reintroduce herself to American voters, her stance on criminal justice issues remains unclear. While she has engaged with communities traditionally ignored, her actions have not matched her rhetoric. Whether she will prove herself as a champion of criminal justice reform remains to be seen. However, as she stated in her memoir, what matters is how well she runs the portion of the race that’s hers, and the core problems of the criminal justice system are not new.
