criminal justice reform

· I am immediately calling on the Kansas Department of Corrections to work with the ACLU informing felons if they can vote

· I am also immediately calling on the current Secretary of State to put marijuana on the upcoming ballot in 2 questions:

1. Whether or not Kansas has Medical Marijuana

2. Whether or not marijuana should be fully legalized

Given the public and political support of the First Step Act, I want to build off of the momentum and apply the law to the State of Kansas.

Adding the reduction of disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentences to the state level. I will also add marijuana to that provision. I believe that sentencing for marijuana offenses disproportionately affects non-white offenders. Therefore, for non-violent marijuana arrests, I will introduce legislation that will rehabilitate instead of punishing suspects. Studies and statistics show that in most cases, whenever someone is charged for a non-violent marijuana crime, that they are more likely to become repeat offenders and will go in and out of the judicial system. I don’t want to see the life ruined of a young adult that decided to consume a non-addictive drug. Instead, I want the state to be there to assist the person and help with job searching and training. I urge my former collogues in the legislature to support this initiative. Our prisons are overpopulated, which has created the conversation of private prisons due to the underfunding of our state prisons.

On private prisons, I do not support a for-profit criminal justice system. I want the criminal justice system to be like Europe. Where we focus on rehabilitation and education for our inmates. With that being said, I want to ensure that inmates can obtain educational degrees while in jail or prison. I want their first time in jail or prison to be their last time. What I am proposing is that inmates have the opportunity to achieve their high school diploma and ultimately a votech degree or college degree. Along with legislation, I will also add an anti-discrimination provision that allows the released inmate to work in appropriate settings. Don’t be worried, this does not mean that inmates convicted of child sex crimes will be allowed to be teachers. Instead, inmates that serve non-violent drug crimes can work in any field that they are qualified for.

Just like the First Step Act, I also support lowering mandatory minimums. For drug offenses, I do not believe that criminals should serve life sentences for non-violent drug charges. The “3 strikes” rule will come to an end. Instead, I will ensure that criminals are subjected to rehabilitation. For criminals that fall under this category, the underlying problem is mental health. Therefore, I want to see a sweeping mental health package addressed in my first 100 days in office.

Finally, with the added work and educational programs that will exist under my plan, I want to add additional “good time credits” for inmates currently serving. If an inmate shows the desire to become educated and works throughout their sentence, I believe that they should be rewarded.

For the law enforcement community, I will be your voice as well.

I have a 5-step plan that will be implemented during my first 100 days in office as Governor:

I want our law enforcement to be active in their patrol communities. I want the public to regain trust in law enforcement so that the perception of occupiers can end. Therefore, I will urge Washington for federal grants to give to law enforcement agencies to abide by this request. I will also allocate state funding to law enforcement agencies to focus on community policing
Body-Cameras. Within 4 years, it will be mandatory that every law enforcement officer has a continually running body camera that records everything. Officers and vehicles will be equipped with cameras that pick-up video and audio. With cloud technology, our officers will be constantly streaming while they’re on duty. This will bring accountability to our officers in the most crucial times. My proposal will be that officers in every jurisdiction will have state of the art equipment. Local governments will be able to decide on the level of the needs of their departments. For example, Wellsville Kansas doesn’t need the same number of officers as Overland Park. What they do need is access to, is the same technology and equipment such as body cameras and non-lethal weapons such as bean bag ammunition and pepper spray.
Quotas will be a thing in the past under my administration. I understand that quotas are how a lot of law enforcement agencies receive grants. It also creates the despicable practice of racial profiling.
Officers will be required to undergo mental health crisis training. Most officers in Kansas are not trained in how to handle a suicidal individual. We saw this play out in Overland Park with the tragic death of a 17-year-old. Officers responding to a suicidal individual will be partnered with someone that is trained in handling suicide such as a psychologist. Our law enforcement agencies already have police psychologists on duty for officers so this policy will work.
Finally, I will work with federal agencies in acquiring equipment that the military doesn’t use, such as armored personnel carriers and body armor. This will protect both the public and the officers that are responding to high threat calls. With the gun culture in Kansas and the United States, it’s crucial that our officers have the same equipment that a shooter might possess. What I am not advocating for is military tanks such as the M1 Abrams to be patrolling our streets.