Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will propose major reforms to the treatment of minors and nonviolent offenders in the criminal justice system, Politico reports:
The measure, called the REDEEM Act, has several pillars: It encourages states to change policies so children are directed away from the adult criminal justice system; automatically expunges or seals — depending on their age — criminal records of juveniles who committed nonviolent crimes; and limits solitary confinement of children, except in rare circumstances.
The legislation also creates a path for adults with nonviolent offenses to seal their criminal records and restores food stamp and welfare benefits for low-level drug offenders who have served their sentences.
Paul recently introduced a similar bill that would restore voting rights for nonviolent offenders in federal elections; drug policy has long been one of his areas of interest, and when Booker was elected to the Senate in 2013, he told the Wall Street Journal he hoped to work with Paul on drug policy reform.
