US: Three Strikes Policy Proposal

This proposal addresses the ambiguous Three Strikes Law and its damaging impact on youth. The Three Strikes Law significantly increases the prison sentences of persons convicted of a felony who have been previously convicted of two or more felonies, making it much more likely for them to receive a life sentence. Our proposal seeks to solve this issue by allowing the First Step Act’s Three Strikes Law sentence reduction to apply retroactively to those already convicted and given unfair sentences. In addition, it redefines and reduces the criteria of who falls under the Three Strikes Law, and repurposes the money saved from reduced sentencing to restorative justice programs aimed at preventing youth crime and rehabilitating prison inmates.

US: Public Defender Policy Proposal

This proposal addresses the shortage of public defenders in our criminal justice system. The overwhelming number of cases that public defenders must oversee prevents them from providing adequate representation for each of their clients, resulting in more plea bargains. This is perpetuated by socioeconomic inequality; those without the means to hire a private attorney lie at a disadvantage. Our policy proposal seeks to ameliorate this situation by providing government-sponsored postsecondary and law school for aspiring public defenders. Thus, student loans for public defenders will be practically eliminated, increasing financial stability in this field. This change will increase the amount of public defenders, enabling each individual public defender to have a decreased workload. As the quality of cases for the defense of poor citizens increases, fewer incorrect convictions will come to pass, minimizing one of the forces of criminalization of poverty.