Trump seen more moderate on criminal
justice, law enforcement
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[November 12, 2016]
By Julia Harte
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Criminal justice
reform advocates said they expect Donald Trump will embrace moderate
change once he is in the White House, toning down the punitive but
undefined "law and order" image he projected on the campaign trail.
In another instance of experts trying to pin down Trump on an issue he
used on the stump without offering much detail, two groups that have met
recently with his staff said they expect him to back mainstream
sentencing and corrections reforms.
A Trump spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.
In a meeting a few weeks ago, Trump's staff was "very receptive" to
arguments that crime rates have dropped in states that have reduced
prison populations through sentencing reform, said Holly Harris,
executive director of the U.S. Justice Action Network, a bipartisan
coalition that spearheads legislative efforts to lower sentences for
nonviolent offenders.
Democratic President Barack Obama, many Republicans in Congress and
several of Trump's conservative mentors have embraced changing
sentencing standards and better prisons.
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During the campaign, Trump denounced Obama as being too soft on
inner-city violence and for extremist plots against the United States
and attacks on police officers.
For instance, in the Oct. 19 presidential debate with Democratic
opponent Hillary Clinton, Trump said: "We need law and order, but we
need justice, too. Our inner cities are a disaster. You get shot walking
to the store. They have no education. They have no jobs."
But in the same month, Trump's vice presidential running mate, Mike
Pence, said he was proud that Indiana approved criminal justice reform
during his tenure as governor.
"We have got to do a better job recognizing and correcting the errors in
the system that do reflect an institutional bias in criminal justice,"
he said.
Tim Head, executive director of the conservative Christian Faith and
Freedom Coalition, said his group has held advisory talks with the
president-elect's staff in recent days.
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Donald Trump arrives for his election night rally at the New York
Hilton Midtown in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 9, 2016.
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
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Head said Trump's Justice Department is likely to emphasize greater
"support for law enforcement, maybe deference for law enforcement"
than Obama did.
But Head and Harris also both noted that Republicans close to Trump,
such as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie have advocated for reforms such as lowering sentences
for some nonviolent crimes, improving prison conditions and helping
former prisoners find jobs and housing.
Christie and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani are reportedly
on a short list of conservatives whom Trump is considering for U.S.
attorney general.
Inimai Chettiar, director of justice programs at the Brennan Center
for Justice of New York University, said Trump made some "troubling"
campaign-trail claims. One, she said, was arguing that rising crime
justifies stop-and-frisk tactics and other police methods that
critics say unfairly target minorities.
However, she said, she also hoped the president-elect would fall in
line with members of the Republican Party who support bipartisan
criminal justice reform.
(Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Jonathan Oatis)
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