Mainers Urge Senator Collins to Support Criminal Justice Reform

AUGUSTA, ME – Maine civil rights and criminal justice advocates urged their senator, Susan Collins, to support the pending bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act on a press call today. 

The bill, which would implement urgently needed reforms to the nation’s criminal justice system, was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee five months ago. It has support from conservatives, liberals, and community advocates from across the country, but Senator Collins has not yet joined her colleagues as a bill co-sponsor or even announced her support. The bill provides a rare moment of bipartisan consensus on the critical issue of criminal justice reform, and advocates are urging Collins to take action.

Click here to listen to an MP3 recording of the call.

Below are quotes from the call.

Christopher Poulos, law student at the University of Maine School of Law and an advocate for formerly incarcerated people

“As someone who has been incarcerated myself, I understand the significance of what happens to individuals, families, and communities when long sentences are imposed, especially long sentences that do not match the crime. The latest front in the civil rights movement is the battle against mass incarceration and the criminalization of addiction going on across the country. Folks need to understand that the consequences of the opioid epidemic are tied to criminal justice policy and the amount of time people are incarcerated because incarceration exacerbates issues of addiction and mental health.”

Rabbi Erica Asch of Temple Beth El Augusta

“The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is absolutely something Senator Collins should be supporting. We in Maine like her so much because she is a moderate voice in Congress, and this is truly a bipartisan bill. In fact it’s surprising that she hasn’t already added her voice to this bill. It’s smart on crime; it reserves prisons for people who need to be there; it provides a chance for rehabilitation for people who have made a mistake so they can transition back to their communities and live and work there. It provides a commonsense approach to crime.”

Alison Beyea, Executive Director, ACLU of Maine

“Mass incarceration is an utter failure of public policy. It devastates people and communities, disproportionately impacts people of color and the poor, and has done nothing to solve the drug abuse problem in this country. This is first and foremost a public health issue and should be treated as such. We have a system that works against people that are struggling with addiction by placing more barriers in their way to recovery. If we truly want to heal our communities it’s time for a new approach. The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is one important step toward fixing our nation’s deeply flawed criminal justice system and we urge Senator Collins to support it.”

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