Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) unveiled Wednesday a new plan to assist public defenders financially and prevent burnout.
The legislation, which has the backing of civil rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, could boost Harris’ appeal to those skeptical of her record as a prosecutor in California.
What would it do?
Harris’ proposal would create a $250 million grant program within the Justice Department that would go toward establishing workload limits for full-time public defenders, making sure public defenders and prosecutors are paid similarly, and collecting more data about public defender workloads.
In addition, the proposal would allocate $5 million for non-profits and governments to train public defenders. It would also boost funding for a student loan repayment program housed under the Justice Department.
Finally, the bill would require recipients of government grants that support law enforcement programs to detail how effective states are at supplying public defenders.
Who would benefit?
The legislation seeks to improve the quality of life for public defenders in hopes of helping them better serve their clients, who tend to be lower-income. Jonathan Rapping, founder and president of Gideon’s Promise, which provides training to public defenders, noted that while there’s been more discussion about criminal justice reform in recent years, Harris’ proposal is a “recognition that public defenders need to be a part of that.”
“All too often, our public defenders are overworked and lack sufficient resources,” Harris said in a statement. “This makes public defense unsustainable over the long haul. And the person who suffers is the defendant, whose liberty is on the line.”
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What have other Democrats proposed?
Harris’ plan gives her a fresh way to break into the 2020 conversation surrounding criminal justice reform, which other Democrats have already waded into.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) co-sponsored the bill President Donald Trump signed into law in December, and he has since introduced a bill that would make even more changes to sentencing guidelines, provide more training to law enforcement and help formerly incarcerated people find jobs.