We are at yet another crossroads over criminal justice reform. In the past year, states with Republican and Democratic governors have enacted common-sense reforms to disrupt the cycle of crime and incarceration, make our system fairer, and our communities safer. But at the same time, some states are reversing course and returning to 'tough-on-crime' approaches despite all the evidence showing the failures of our overreliance on imprisonment in the United States. We must not go backward.
The new bill—House Bill 4002 - would revive penalties for possessing those drugs and others—and comes with a potential six-month jail sentence. Governor Tina Kotek issued a statement that she intends to sign the bill.We all care about having safe communities, which is why it's critical to avoid repeating our past mistakes and instead support policies that reduce unnecessary incarceration.