Bill > HRes519

This Resolution declares that the United States has a moral duty to fulfill its founding principle of ensuring justice for all, acknowledging the current "incarceration crisis" that has caused widespread harm, particularly to communities of color. It calls for a large-scale "decarceration" effort, meaning a significant reduction in the number of people in jails and prisons, by decriminalizing behaviors like addiction and sex work, increasing diversion programs, and ending policies that lead to mass incarceration, such as the 1994 Crime Bill. The resolution also advocates for a more humane justice system by ending solitary confinement, improving healthcare and educational opportunities within facilities, and ensuring fair treatment for all incarcerated individuals, including LGBTQ+ people and those with disabilities. Furthermore, it aims to eliminate wealth-based discrimination by ending cash bail and the practice of private companies profiting from incarceration, and to rebuild communities harmed by these policies by investing in housing, healthcare, education, and ending militarized policing.